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| Oppama Plant Factory Visit |
Konnichiwa
The second study tours in the Study on Japanese Companies Industries held on November 9, 2016. The destinations that day was the Nissan Oppama Plant, where the design, manufacture, test and research of vehicles Nissan products are conducted. Because there was evacuation simulation for disaster on Ookayama campus, so we departed earlier at 11:40. The trip was quiet tired since it took approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. When we arrived, we were ushered into the lobby where there were few cars on display, as well as models of Nissan car manufacture. On the wall there were infographic about the history of the company Nissan and how to design and product the car.
At 13:30, we were greeted in the meeting room and listen to brief explanations about the history of Nissan and also about manufacturing process. Nissan cooperate with Renault and they initiated Alliance Production Way. The Alliance Production Way (APW) is the production method that is used by both cooperation by integrating the approaches to production, know-how and best practices in manufacturing from both companies.
There are several main processes in the production way.
1. Vehicle Assembly
- Stamping
- Press machines cut and form rolls of sheet steel into automobile roofs, floors, doors, and other body panel parts. High-tensile steel is used extensively to reduce weight, while highly corrosion-resistant steel is used for protection against rust
- Body Assembly
- Robots weld the stamped panels into a vehicle body (known as a body-in-white). This is the most automated area of all vehicle production operations, for modern robotics provide the extremely high accuracy needed in this stage
- Painting
- The assembled body-in-white is thoroughly washed to remove any trace of dirt, dust or other foreign materials, then moved into a paint booth. Here the body receives multiple layers of paint, including primer, surface and top coating.
- Assembly Trim Line
- Seats, instrument panels, carpet, bumpers, windshields, trim and other parts are installed.
2. Making Engines and Chassis
- Forging
- Crankshaft forings are produced from round steel bars heated to 1200 degrees Celcius automated forging machines
- Stamping
- Steel sheets 2-3 mm in thickness are cut and stamped to make suspension parts that require high structural strength
- Casting
- Iron and aluminum are melted in furnaces at 1500 degrees Celcius and 700 degrees Celcius respectively, and poured into dies to make engine and chassis parts.
- Machining
- Chassis part are machined on a fully automated line
- Welding
- Stamped suspension parts are welded together by automatic welding robots
- Machining
- Cylinder heads, crankshafts and other engine parts are machined on a fully automated line. Accuracy to a thousandth of a millimeter is required in these processes.
- Assembly
- Chassis are assembled according to the same sequence of customer orders and sent to vehicle assembly plants
- Cylinder heads and other parts are installed on cylinder block to fully assemble engines in the same sequence in which customer orders were received
- Inspection
- Performance, emissions and other aspects are rigorously checked using a computerized test bench
3. Major Component Mount
- The engine, transmission, axles and other major components are installed in the vehicle body as it moves down the assembly line
4. Assembly Line Roll-Off
- With the assembly completed, the vehicle's radiator is filled with coolant and a small amount of gasoline is placed in the fuel tank. The car is driven manually off the line for a thorough inspection and performance check
5. Final Inspection
- The finished vehicle is put through a running test, and brakes, instruments, lights and other functioning parts are checked and adjusted. This rigorous quality inspection also included an exhaust emission test and a leakage test conducted in a high-pressure shower.
