CRG Discussion Forum
Camaro Research Group Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: 69Z28-RS on January 31, 2014, 10:18:03 PM
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The link below will take you to a video (~3.5 min) that just might amaze you.. especially if you've worked in, or been in a typical US automotive factory before. This one is a VW plant in Dresden Germany... which WOW'ed me.. :) (I was in Dresden a couple of times in the early '90s, when it was still part of 'east Germany', right after the wall came down, and evidently there's been lots of changes! The first time I was there, a KGB officer was standing outside the airport entrance.. . observing!)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/nd5WGLWNllA?rel=0
Maybe we could all pool our $$ and build a similar modern factory, just to build '69 Camaros.. :)
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Interesting.... Germany has always been ahead of the world in technology. Makes me proud of my heritage :D
Mike
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Ah yes, good old German wissen-wie! ;)
If you ever get the chance go to the BMW plant in Munich, it's incredible. BTW, that's a rental.
Or for that matter they have one in Spartanburg, SC.
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I have owned a lot of cars including three Volkswagens; a '59 Bug, a '71 Squareback and a '95 Jetta III GLX (V6). The Bug and Squareback (electronically fuel injected) were great cars that ran forever, but the Jetta (which I purchased fully loaded for my wife in '94) was a P.O.S! Absolutely the worst car I have ever owned! Nothing lasted on the Jetta even though it was impeccably maintain! It left my wife stranded many times and will be the last Volkswagen I or anyone in my family (if I have a say) will ever buy! I felt like a boat owner when I sold it in 2008. :D
Paul
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A video of that plant was posted before.
JohnZ explained the debacle behind it and how much money was wasted on it....
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We (wife and I) run a Avisbudget car rental place and we do occasionally rent out VW's....I think you would change your mind back to owning one...I am impress with their car and so is our customer's...Paul go rent one for the weekend and take momma on a getaway..
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Paul go rent one for the weekend and take momma on a getaway..
We'd never make it to our destination! Seriously, the things that broke or fell apart on that Jetta I've never had a problem with on any other car, ever! I honestly felt sorry for the guy I sold it to. :D
Paul
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A video of that plant was posted before.
JohnZ explained the debacle behind it and how much money was wasted on it....
I'd be very interested in reading JohnZ's comments re that plant, if anyone can provide a link.. I've spent some time searching and haven't been able to find it...
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Regardless of what is considered waste, it is one heck of a beauty of a plant and fits well within the community.
I wonder if a place like that is hampered by unions or not.
Mike
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A video of that plant was posted before.
JohnZ explained the debacle behind it and how much money was wasted on it....
I'd be very interested in reading JohnZ's comments re that plant, if anyone can provide a link.. I've spent some time searching and haven't been able to find it...
I tried several advanced searches keying on "Ferdinand Piech" or "Phaeton", but got no results - dunno if the search function is working or not.
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I assume this plant is for assembly and not painting, correct? It would take one heck of an air scrubber system to remove all the vapors being within a community like that.
Heck, one would make a nice living just by being a window cleaner there ;D
Mike
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A video of that plant was posted before.
JohnZ explained the debacle behind it and how much money was wasted on it....
I'd be very interested in reading JohnZ's comments re that plant, if anyone can provide a link.. I've spent some time searching and haven't been able to find it...
I tried several advanced searches keying on "Ferdinand Piech" or "Phaeton", but got no results - dunno if the search function is working or not.
Thanks for looking John...I also did some fruitless searches. Do you recall what your 'debacle and waste of money' comment was about...?
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Do you recall what your 'debacle and waste of money' comment was about...?
Waste of money? That's BMW = Big Money Wasted! ;D
Paul
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I was wrong. It was an email. :)
Here it is:
That's where the VW Phaeton is made, at about ten per day, and it sells for $100,000+ (which is why it was withdrawn from the U.S. market three years ago after being the biggest sales flop in VW history). The plant and the car only exist because both are the pet project of Ferdinand Piech, the VW Chairman, and he won't admit defeat and let them die.
John
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Thanks for looking Kurt, and finding JohnZ' email.... and I totally understand his comment, as that plant would be better considered as a 'demonstration' futuristic plant of what *could be done* to build cars, as opposed to the most efficient means to build cars (and make $$).. :) Most such projects get funded only due to being someone's pet idea/project... (or possibly government using our tax $$)...
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Saw a video somewhere of a BMW production plant showing raw stampings coming from presses to finished BMW's rolling into the shipping Trailers. I don't think I counted 20 humans involved in the whole process. Watching robots install the windshield sealant to the windshield, and then installing the windshield was amazing. Painting robots actually looked like humans in the video. They opened and closed the doors to paint the interior sheet metal. I'm assuming American Car plants are much the same these days as well.
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Saw a video somewhere of a BMW production plant showing raw stampings coming from presses to finished BMW's rolling into the shipping Trailers. I don't think I counted 20 humans involved in the whole process. Watching robots install the windshield sealant to the windshield, and then installing the windshield was amazing. Painting robots actually looked like humans in the video. They opened and closed the doors to paint the interior sheet metal. I'm assuming American Car plants are much the same these days as well.
Yes, both the BMW plant in Germany and the one in SC have the painting robots.
I assume this plant is for assembly and not painting, correct? It would take one heck of an air scrubber system to remove all the vapors being within a community like that.
Heck, one would make a nice living just by being a window cleaner there ;D
Mike
Part of the painting process involves dipping and part is spraying. BMW uses scrubbers and they recycle their water.
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That's where the VW Phaeton is made, at about ten per day, and it sells for $100,000+ (which is why it was withdrawn from the U.S. market three years ago after being the biggest sales flop in VW history). The plant and the car only exist because both are the pet project of Ferdinand Piech, the VW Chairman, and he won't admit defeat and let them die.
John
$100,000+ for a Volkswagen! The Germans must be smoking the Black Forest! ::)
Paul
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I have spent a lot of my career calling on and selling to prime automotive plants, including GM Bowling Green, Saturn/GM Spring Hill, Hyundai, Nissan (since before Day1, Smryna, TN when it was a trailer park of offices), Nissan/Decherd Engine, Opel/KS Germany, and visited the MB/Daimler V8 engine facility in Stuttgart, Germany (guided tour of the entire plant, 2000/2001-ish).
I'm glad VW built a plant in Tennessee - they will eventually learn, as Nissan did, that Americans can and will build a better vehicle than what is built overseas.
Regards,
Steve
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$100,000+ for a Volkswagen! The Germans must be smoking the Black Forest! ::)
Well the Volkswagen company owns ten other car brands, including Porsche, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Seat, Skoda as well as Volkswagen passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It was also a VW prototype that broke the FIA endurance record (or records?) which was set by a 1990 ZR1 in 1990 (included avg speed of 175.885 over 24 hrs, and over 173 mph for 5000 miles (avg speed included stops for fueling and driver changes, and car had to carry any parts that might be required for repair, which could only be performed by the driver (no parts were required). Before the ZR1 record, the prior records were held by a Mercedes in 1936. So the VW company is not without it's own outstanding engineering staff.