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[â€" Jp hen the last k / Tempo/Topaz rolled off VÂ¥ _ the line of the Oakville sembly Plant this past October, {Itimillion dollar preparations eady had been made for the introâ€" tion of the Windstar minivan â€" new star of the plant‘s producâ€" n. But behind all the new equipâ€" ‘nt and technology is a workforce t has undergone some 1.3â€"million irs of training and a profound ling that each of the plant‘s 3,900 urly and salaried employees is >pared for, and has contributed to, > successful launch of Ford Motor >mpany‘s newest product. New equipment, new tooling, w automated robots, new assemâ€" lines and, most importantly, new gas were melded into a farâ€"reachâ€" program to assure Beltâ€"inâ€"Class duct quality resulting from a llâ€"rehearsed new product launch. Preparations for Windstar started Oakville more than four years o when the plant was selected by rd Motor Company to build indstar. The selection was ompted by the decision to phase it the popular Tempo/Topaz modâ€" s, and the plant‘s quality record. It was also decided that all preâ€" oduction prototype models would : built at Oakville instead of pilot ants at other locations. To achieve is, a 17,000â€"squareâ€"foot "mini" oduction line was created within e assembly plant, containing all ements of the assembly process, cluding body assembly, wiring, assis buildâ€"up, trim, glass, and sting. One of the prime objectives was make Windstar an "assembly iendly" vehicle â€" one that would quire a minimum of adjustment id fitting by assembly line nployees. Cornerstone of this "assembly :endly" process was Ford Motor | machine. The highâ€"tech machine measures compliance with preâ€"set tolerances by scanning the vehicle body. Company‘s unique and proven "Conceptâ€"toâ€"Customer" approach to quality assurance. This involves teams of Ford engineers, designers, manufacturing experts, suppliers, and other employees working conâ€" currently from the very onset of the design and engineering process. In traditional product development processes, different teams operate sequentially until late stages of development. Using the miniâ€"factory as a base, Oakville employees and other team members from throughout Ford worked together to solve design, engineering, assembly, and testing concerns, so they could not become assembly line problems. As a result, more than 3,200 sugâ€" gestions for process changes and improvement were submitted and tested during this twoâ€"toâ€"three year prototype development program. Each of the changes was aimed at improving Windstar quality, or conâ€" trolling vehicle weight or costs. Teams circulated constantly between Dearborn and Oakville and included suppliers who were invited in very early in the process. The first prototype Windstars were evaluation vehicles built two years ago. Plant employees had early experience in installing parts they would be responsible for in the ; from 1 A message Frances Lankin, Ontario ? Minister of Economic Development and Trade Ontario On behalf of the Ontario Government, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Ford of Canada and its employees at the Oakville plant on the introduction of the Windstar minivan, which rolled off the assembly line Jan. 27. This $1 billion venture by Ford resulted in plant expansion, increased technological capabilities and the reâ€"training of each worker. The Ontario Government has been pleased to work in partnership with Ford and its workers providing $34.1 million to Ford‘s Oakville Assembly Plant. This plant is the first Ford s assembly facility to have onâ€"line capabilities to produce vehicles to specification for export markets. An overwhelming 90 per cent of Windstars assembled will be targeted for the United States. This investment will offer spinâ€"off benefits providing a ripple effect on the economies of Halton Region and the province. As Ford builds momentum in the minivan market, the Ontario Government will continue to work with the company and its employees to ensure success in the years ahead. For Ontario, this has meant the maintenance of all existing jobs at the Oakville facility plus the creation of 1,100 new highâ€"skill positions in a competitive cornerstone industry. final products. Evaluation models were followed by verification protoâ€" types and then by proveâ€"out models and training models, all designed to smooth out the assembly system, uncover fitâ€"andâ€"finish concerns, and to accustom employees to their jobs. Skilled tradesmen trained in toolâ€" ing and equipment, they would install and maintain while critical assembly line operations were designed as "no adjust" builds. "No adjust" takes guesswork and adjustâ€" ment out of the process. For examâ€" ple, a bumper is designed to fit only one way on the frame. Both the frame and the bumper have "locator markings". When the marks line up, Wednesday, March 23, 1994 â€" FORD â€" F11 > Precise fit and finish are ensured by the use of a computerâ€"guided laser scanner. Windstar body panels are checked daily on the coâ€"ordinate measuring (Photo courtesy of Ford of Canada News Services) the bumper is installed and it fits perfectly. The locator system enables parts manufactured in diverse plants to come together perâ€" fectly in final assembly without adjustment. Every one of Oakville‘s 3,900 employees is trained in Ford‘s Bestâ€" inâ€"Class training concept which includes Statistical Process Control, problem solving, communications, and launch procedures. When the plant renovation was complete, the final phase of prototype buildâ€"up was launched. This involved "conâ€" strained" build, which means that the line moves as in the normal assembly process, except when renovation quality, tooling, or procedure probâ€" lems are encountered. In these cases, the line is stopped until the concern can be evaluated and solved. Findings are then fed back into the system to prevent repetiâ€" tion. Subâ€"assembly operations have a capacity of 91 vehicles per hour to account for final line downtime for things like maintenance and equipâ€" ment repair. With the end of Tempo/Topaz production, the plant was almost completely renovated for Windstar. Floor space was enlarged from 2.3â€"million to 3.1â€"million square feet and 354 new welding robots were installed, as well as, several miles of new conveyor systems. Assembly line capacity was increased from 60 to 75 units per hour, giving the Oakville plant the : ability to produce 1,200 Windstars per working day, made up of two eightâ€"hour shifts. Employment was increased by 1,100. In addition to the aboveâ€"menâ€" tioned quality assurance procedures, the plant also boasts a freeze operaâ€" tion to test Windstars at below zero temperatures, a body air leakage detection process, squeak and rattle detection, wind noise reduction (largely through design measures that give Windstar a drag coefficient of .35, lowest in the minivan marâ€" ket), and, of course, actual driving of vehicles coming off the assembly line. As prototype production increased and Job One drew near, Windstars changed from proveâ€"out and training models to fleet evaluaâ€" tion models, essentially the same Windstars that will go on sale in March, 1994. But as the first car rolls off the assembly line, every employee is well aware of the preparation and training that precedâ€" ed this historical event â€" the introâ€" duction of Ford‘s newest member of its galaxy, Windstar. GE Lighting and GE Silicones are proud to welcome the Ford Windstar, assembled exclusively at the Ford Oakville Plant GE Canada