As with the first IBM computers (the 701) in the 1950s, industrial robots in the 60s at General Motors, and machine vision in the 80s, the specialty field of Vision Guided Robotics (VGR) has reached a stage where it is crossing the divide toward mass adoption in automotive manufacturing. Global automakers like Ford are suffering poor cashflow, rising inventory balances rising debt, increased quality problems, lower asset utilization, reduced R&D pipelines, and extensive corporate knowledge shrinkage in this downturn. In response, Ford has adopted a return to basics approach, focusing on being a car-maker rather than e-ser-vices, and adopting key manufacturing automation and management principles, such as leanness, standardization and continuous improvement, flexible automation including robotics, continuous flow, and quality at source. At General Motors (GM), the story is similar; GM is increasing the connectivity of its eight main tiers of suppliers, and extending technology sharing collaboration with global partners―all aimed at simplifying and standardizing processes, and leveraging technology advances. Maureen Kempston Darkes, President of GM Latin America, Africa and Mid-East, said that these trends are "innovating the creation and production of new product niches, and helping mobilize world business." Flexibility is key, with multiple brands using the same engine/chassis platform, and with multiple platforms being produced in the same plant. There remains much to do, however, with 22 million excess automotive production capacity worldwide, and hundreds of auto makers with tens of thousands of suppliers, all competing for increasingly demanding customers.
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