• Probability of obtaining quick authorization from the local legal entities for building and general equipment construction;
• Availability of potential funds for employment development in specific areas.
The location of manufacturing activities for the same product and planned volumes can also influence the automation level processes. In fact, the higher the manufacturing cost, the more convenient it is to parse out the automation level.
Criteria for analysis are the same as shown above in the diagrams correlating volumes/technologies, considering the right cost parameters in relation to indus- trial site choice.
Based on the above items, it is clear that decisions concerning equipment level and manufacturing locations require a complex decision-making process that must be supported by specific economic investigations.
Finally, we resume the ultimate purpose for the strategic planning of set- ting technologies and the location of manufacturing activities:
• setting production capacities according to medium/long term marketing plan;
• assuring necessary qualitative and quantitative levels for products, at minimum industrial cost, including direct material, its transformation and assembly, final tests and their dispatching;
• assuring delivering lead times and service levels useful for the commercial and after-market networks;
• restricting the company’s financial resources, considering cooperation for
‘‘co-makership’’ and local public fund opportunities.
1.5 Overview of Technologies for Materials Applied
3 Composed Metal Dust Sintering: these processes require a special technology and significant basic investment. Same considerations as previous point.
4. Metal Removal Machining, Heat Treatments and Super Finishing: by special machine tools, machining centres, multi-station and multi-tools systems, and equipment for heat treatment and special antiware metals. These processes require initially high basic and then product-dedicated investment.
5. Thin Laminated Steel and Aluminium Parts Printing, by shearing machining, printing, refining, folding and coining under press machine. These processes require initially very high basic and then product-dedicated investment. The degree of construction specifications for mouldings and raw material usage influence economic convenience of the process and quality of the final product.
6. Plastic Parts Printing, by injection printing, injection-compression, extrusion and relative processes for coating and joining parts. These processes require initially high basic and then product-dedicated investment. Requirements of material features and construction highly influence the economic convenience of the process and quality of the final product.
7. Assembling and Joining of Steel Parts: by resistance welding, laser welding with or without metal amount carried over, MIG/TIG welding, cold welding, etc. These processes require initially high basic and then product-dedicated investment and are also labour intensive. The degree of technical features of tooling and equipment utilization influence the economic convenience of the process and quality of the final product.
8. Protection Coating and Painting Process for Bodies, Cabins and Space Frames: these processes require high basic investment, and are energy, process material and even labour intensive. The degree of the material’s technical features and utilization for these resources highly influence the economic convenience of the process and the quality of the final product.
9. Mechanical Groups Assembly and On Vehicle Installation: these processes require high basic investments, and are energy, process material and even labour intensive. They also involve high logistic complexity and have a high impact on product availability and quality level from a customer point of view.
10. Modules and Vehicle Final Assembly: these processes require high basic investment and are labour intensive. They also involve high logistic com- plexity and have a high impact on product availability and quality level from a customer point of view.
Carmakers and mechanical parts producers must exert tight control over these ten technological areas mentioned above, directly, when processes are developed inside the company, and indirectly, when they are the work of external suppliers, but still controlled by the carmakers. These technological areas are strictly related to the ‘‘supply chain’’ phases and require specific investment for product design, normally provided by the purchaser.
Furthermore, automotive production also requires other important tech- nological contributions, typically developed autonomously by specialized suppliers, which are independent from carmakers. These technologies are connected to the following elements or vehicle sub-systems:
(a) Powertrain Systems
– High Specialization Standard Mechanical Components (pistons, valves, oil pumps, turbo chargers…)
– Engine Supply Functional Modules
– Exhaustion and Silencing Functional Systems – Engine Thermal Systems
– Powertrain Transmission Functional Modules and Special Components – Fluidic Tight Capacity Plastic Elements
– Engine Electrical System Components – Powertrain Electronic Control Systems (b) Vehicle General Assembling Systems
– On Board Instruments and Info-Systems – Air Conditioning Systems
– Lighting and Vision Functional Modules – Seat Modules
– Door Opening and Closing Leverages
– Safety Systems for Body Cell (air bag, safety belts…) – Fluidic Tight Capacity Plastic Elements
(c) Vehicle General Systems – Tires and Wheel Rims
– Breaking System Functional Modules and Special Components – Suspension Functional Modules and Special Components
– Steering Wheel Leverage Functional Modules and Special Components – Fuel Tank and Pump Functional Modules
– Electric Power Supply Modules – Electric Wiring and Connections
– Oleo Dynamic and Pneumatic Equipment Elements – Acoustic and Thermal Insulation Element
– Vehicle Electronic Control Systems
Those elements and systems are based on ‘‘evolved technological solutions’’, the ‘‘know-how’’ of which generally belongs to specialized companies that pro- duce components; these companies are able to supply all carmakers on a large market scale, being the owners of autonomous R&D departments. Anyway, a strong cooperation between those companies and the carmakers is necessary in case of the development of technical projects and experimentation and homolo- gation on vehicle phases.
It is relevant to observe that electrical and electronic contents included on vehicles have grown exponentially over the last decade, a trend that will probably
only increase in the future. At the same time, technological evolution of micro- chips will allow for a reduction in impact on cost and availability of products.
To complete the vision of the ‘‘supply chain’’ involved in the automotive manufacturing processes, we also have to talk about basic material trans- formation technologies that take part in the structural composition of the vehicle:
• steel casting, lamination, extrusion and refining
• aluminium league casting, lamination, extrusion and refining
• magnesium league casting
• simple and strengthened polymer material technologies
• glass parts lamination, forging and cutting
• body protection and painting material technologies
• lubrication technologies
• electric conductor and optic fibre technologies
• electrical accumulator and catalyst converter special material technologies
• lighting and reflecting systems technologies.
Even technologies typical of these commodities require highly specialized know-how, reserved for suppliers. In the design phase, suppliers are called to define application and transformation characteristics of materials.
In Chap. 7, ‘‘Purchasing and Collaboration’’, we will deal with supplying policies and the control of component and raw material cost. According to modern purchasing policies, supplier’s selections are defined in regard to the above technological classifications.
The total amount of items contributes to the increasing complexity of technologies applied in automotive industries. In setting and managing industrial collaborations, it is necessary to have a systemic ownership, so that it is possible to apply the different specialties in relation to product/market targets to generate value for the companies.
The following composition diagram shows the medium incidence of the weight of the principal raw material used in carmaking. They are indicative values, coming from an analysis on models with higher volumes in the European Com- munity in the period 2001/2003, with reference to the trend of the next seven/eight years.
It is possible to note that metal and iron leagues, in spite of several reductions in the past, represent more than 75 % of the total weight of the vehicle, even if in the future their incidence will be reduced as a consequence of the employment of high resistance steels and light leagues (aluminium and magnesium) and, in addition, plastic reinforced materials. Another trend will be the growth of ceramics and metal matrix composite materials, useful for improving the effectiveness of powertrain and braking systems and reducing pollution emissions. With the introduction of electric and hybrid traction in the future, we will have a higher impact of copper, silicon and special metals used for catalicity converters and electric accumulators over a long term period (Fig.1.7).