Mercedes to reduce production-line robots for humans!
With all of the various options available to cars these days, Mercedes opt to reduce production-line robots in favour of more human workers!
Bloomberg recently spoke to Mercedes’ head of production, Markus Schaefer, who said the “variety is too much to take on for the machines” with increasing options for car customization. The robots just can’t keep pace with the changes, apparently. From Bloomberg:
“Robots can’t deal with the degree of individualization and the many variants that we have today,”
Markus Schaefer, the German automaker’s head of production, said at its factory in Sindelfingen, the anchor of the Daimler AG unit’s global manufacturing network.
“We’re saving money and safeguarding our future by employing more people.”
The Sindelfingen plant rolls out over 400,000 vehicles per year according to Bloomberg and he believes the production time can actually be much faster with more human workers – even before the customization stage. Rather than having to take weeks to reprogram the production-line robots for shifting assembly patterns, more human workers would mean that the line could be shifted within a weekend.
Mercedes plans to replace production-line robots for people on more than just the S-Class, too. The manufacturer calls the move “robot farming,” in which machines will be smaller and more lightweight – in order to work alongside humans. That teamwork isn’t limited to Mercedes, either. From Bloomberg:
BMW AG and Volkswagen AG’s Audi are also testing lightweight, sensor-equipped robots – safe enough to work alongside people. The objective being, to be able to be better and faster than rivals as the pace of change affecting the industry quickens.
During a time when technology keeps getting more advanced and production-line robots keep becoming more human, it’s comforting to know that some companies are still putting things into the hands of humans.
Source: Jalopnik