TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

摘要

The quality lab at autoliv Columbia City sounds like a petting zoo full of sheep. No, the plant doesn't house a bunch of farm animals. The sounds that fill the room come from steering-wheel wear testers. The automated testers use thin belts of cloth to continuously buff steering wheels to ensure paint integrity. The baaas that ensue are music to a shepherd's ear―or in this case the laboratory technician's ear. For Autoliv, which manufactures steering wheels and assembles driver and passenger airbags as well as inflatable curtains, quality is a major concern. When the plant opened in July 1998, it faced tremendous pressure from customers, tools that had only a two-day lifespan and needed to be air-chartered from France and an untrained workforce. "It was not a successful launch," says Kim Weinman, production controls manager and a 14-year veteran.