I lately had the intense pleasure of becoming a member of Don Bent, chief working officer, Oshkosh Protection, on a tour of a producing facility proper right here in South Carolina the place they’re constructing the longer term postal truck.
“Supply automobiles are literally the proper alternative for battery electrics and the reason being as a result of they drive comparatively brief distances,” he says. “They begin and cease rather a lot after which they arrive house each evening to the identical location to allow them to recharge them. It’s the excellent alternative for that.”
Oshkosh Protection has been within the 900,000-sq.ft. house, which is 20 acres underneath roof, for 2 years, getting the ability prepared. Simply previously few weeks, the primary automobiles got here. There are 4 sections of the constructing: the place supplies are available in, a physique store, ending, and meeting. Finally, the corporate can be producing 84 vehicles a day throughout two shifts.
I need to take a few minutes to share my high 5 takeaways that can affect the way forward for battery electrical automobiles, manufacturing, and sustainability for all.
Concentrate on Workers
The plant is designed in a method that takes into consideration the standard of alternative for all workers, which at full manufacturing can be about 1,000 folks throughout two shifts. The house is vivid and clear, which individuals are inclined to get pleasure from extra and are sometimes extra productive.
The corporate additionally appears at work and transfer across the line in a method that’s as ergonomically secure as attainable. For instance, it has a lifted line, which permits employees to regulate the peak of the road, giving folks flexibility and luxury to regulate the peak. Raise help robots may also assist with weights above 35 kilos. Oshkosh Protection selected this weight as a result of nearly all of folks can elevate 35 kilos. Providing this help creates a bigger pool of people who the corporate can now recruit from.
“When you take a look at manufacturing at the moment, there’s a very excessive share of workers which can be male,” he says. “Girls will not be drawn to manufacturing as a lot, and we’re actually attempting to alter that. About half the inhabitants is feminine. If we ignore females as potential workers, it’s a hindrance to us in the long term.”
Concentrate on Expertise
After all, there’s additionally an awesome deal with know-how. Bent and I had a possibility to speak about how the corporate was in a position to run situations in regards to the line and the quantity of uptime it would run. As the corporate ran by all these simulations, know-how was in a position to inform the perfect run time.
In the present day, we hear much more about analytics and AI (synthetic intelligence), however as Bent tells me, “The attention-grabbing factor is AI has been round for some time.”
However what about these robots rising up? Bent confirmed me a totally automated robotic in meeting, however in the identical breath instructed me folks suppose robots are changing every part in meeting and they don’t seem to be.
He says, “The place robots make sense are the place you may have extraordinarily harmful conditions or extraordinarily heavy parts.” This brings me to my subsequent level: security.
Concentrate on Security and Training
Like many producers at the moment, Oshkosh Protection has a deal with security all through the plant and on coaching employees. For instance, whereas I used to be there, they have been providing a weeklong class about take care of excessive voltage.
Bent and I mentioned how Oshkosh Protection is coaching employees on the plant and the postal workplace is coaching the carriers on the automobiles. With the intention to transfer to this subsequent period of know-how in manufacturing and electrical automobiles, employees have to be educated on do it safely. That is one thing each organizations are doing.
Concentrate on the Shopper
Like every good producer, a giant precedence is the shopper and product itself. The truck is designed with the postal service in thoughts.
“This automobile is greater than twice as massive because the LLVs (lengthy life automobiles), twice the inside storage capability. Folks suppose greater is worse, however on this case in the event that they must loop again into the submit workplace, reload, after which exit once more, they’re really extra environment friendly by having a much bigger automobile.”
Along with being twice as massive, automobiles have longer life, are twice as heavy, and have air con, which the present automobiles don’t. Nonetheless, even with the bigger dimension and the AC on, these automobiles have 14% higher gas financial system. (Oh yeah, I even received an opportunity to take a seat in a truck because it nonetheless be assembled, fairly cool.)
“That’s how know-how has superior, even on the inner combustion engine facet,” Bent says.
Concentrate on Sustainability
One of many ultimate large takeaways from this tour was the corporate’s deal with sustainability. Everyone knows factories devour an amazing quantity of packaging. One of many large elements of the sustainability efforts right here is eliminating waste.
“Cut back, reuse, recycle. We actually deal with the scale back, that means in case you don’t create it within the first place, you don’t have to fret about reusing or recycling,” he explains.
All in all, we see the corporate retains workers, its prospects, and its group entrance of thoughts in every part that it does, which helps to set it aside.
“We take extra of a European strategy, which is social accountability,” he says. “These are our neighbors and our group, and that is the place we dwell, and we attempt to deal with the surroundings now and sooner or later.”
My ultimate thought.
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