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We’re committed to improving the vehicle manufacturing process in ways that provide real benefits, including reducing injuries, improving quality and bringing vehicles to market more quickly.

Virtual Technology Improves Vehicle Manufacturing Process

By using virtual ergonomics technology, we’ve redesigned manufacturing jobs to be less physically stressful on workers, which has helped reduce injuries, improve vehicle quality and lower production costs.

Virtual ergonomics combines advanced motion-capture technology with human modeling software to help our engineers analyze and redesign assembly line actions.

Our virtual ergonomics process follows these steps to improve the vehicle manufacturing process:

• A computer-generated virtual assembly line workstation is created.
• In the virtual assembly line workstation, an engineer outfitted with special sensors performs an assembly line operation while sophisticated cameras capture the movements.
• The captured movements are loaded into a computer where modeling software identifies and predicts the impact of long-term repetitive motions.
• As repetitive motions are identified, changes to the assembly line actions can be made to reduce injuries, reduce manufacturing costs and improve quality.

We’ve been using virtual tools to improve ergonomics since 2000 and we’re currently collaborating with the University of Michigan on a consortium to further develop human modeling and predict motion.

* The GQRS study, conducted for Ford by RDA Group, asks customers of all major makes and models to comment on vehicle trouble and rate their overall satisfaction with their three-month-old vehicles.