Just to let you know....Engine/Transmission is hand built and assembled. Only about 2-5% of the engines are started up prior to installing in the car. At the Tochigi plant, Stamping, welding and paint process is all automated. The exception lies in the final assembly process where all the components are installed into the painted body by hand.

Put it this way.....When you have a dedicated group of people who work on the same process every single day (basically experts in what they do) there is less likely somthing will be mis-instlled or not installed.

If youve ever seen an assembley line in an automotive plant you will see that not 1 or 2 people do a single process in a day but maybe 5 or 6. The more people do a single process the more likely things can go wrong.

In the case of the S2k/NSX/Insight Plant (Tochigi) a dedicated group of Workers work at a single process at a time. Also, when its hand built and no assy line there is no pressure on the worker to install a part on time. Parts can get installed with more care. Just keep in mind, that the Japanese workers that assemble our cars are some of the most loyal to Honda and are more than likely very prowd in what they do.

Peace

 

Not sure where I get this info from (probably this board) but the story was that only the best workers are selected from Honda to work in the Tochigi factory. It's actually quite an honor to be ALLOWED to work there! Same goes for the Honda Formula-1 and Motorcycling racingteams. I think I have heard somewhere that all management of Honda have worked in either the special factories or racing teams.

 

As a former autoworker, I can vouche for the build quality issue of the S2k. It really is an incredible little machine, I would think that the whole issue of hand-built peices or opperations of these vehicles are due to two determining factors. The first being that as advanced as auto assembly is, there are still certain operations or procedures that must be done by a human hand i.e. person. And the second being the materials that are used to produce the cars, especially the NSX, all aluminium cunstruction, that means very dificult to weld, and assemble, I think we all know how easy it is to strip an aluminium bolt. As far as the issue of people building quality, the plant that I worked in we made about 700 vehicles a day in two shifts. As far as defects, it equates to 10% of production, and obvouisly we were on an assembly line and in the union. But I also think that if the company that I worked for had treated us a little better and if we produced less #s and could still be proud of the product we built, then I could definetly see that percentage lower, probably more like 2%. That means like 6 cars a day that might have a problem, and these cars that have "problems" are caught before they leave the plant.

Hope this answers some questions, Cheers

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tugz_S2K
[B]Just to let you know....Engine/Transmission is hand built and assembled. Only about 2-5% of the engines are started up prior to installing in the car. At the Tochigi plant, Stamping, welding and paint process is all automated. The exception lies in the final assembly process where all the components are installed into the painted body by hand.

 

I never knew why people say "hand made is good." Let me ask you guys "Can humans bend 1 inch thick iron, well can they?" I don't think so. "Can humans bend a car spring into shape perfectly?" I don't think so.

 

just to make things clear, the cars are not made by hand. They are assembled by hand. I read in this japanese performance car magazine that parts for the NSX, ie. : pistons are hand picked from the bin by engineers and measured and weighted for the best pieces, the most accurate ones. Then once the best parts have been hand selected they are ASSEMBLED by hand. The machines produce the parts, but the humans put it together. So, i think we should be proud and rest assured that it is an amazing thing that the best personal care goes into making these cars.
it's like when you do something for your car, like a modification, if you had 200 mugen wheels and 800 tyres that were equal and you had all the equipment necessary to discern the minimum flaws, you know you would pick the best piece for your own car. Same idea in a larger scale.

 

I don't recall who it was, but someone on this board pointed out that the intake manifold ports showed evidence of individual hand grinding and polishing. That sounds like serious attention to detail to me.

As a point of interest, I think I remember reading a piece about the change that Volvo made in their assembly plants some years ago.
They assigned teams to make one entire car!! In other words, they dumped the classic assembly line process. They did this for two reasons:
1) They found that workers were much more interested in the total product and having pride in the car THEY built, thereby improving quality, and more important;
2) Worker contentment was so high that their absentee experience dropped by more than one half!!!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by QPhox4
[B]Likewise, I wouldn't compare a Japanese assembly line with a U.S. union-made auto.

 

Honda says the Takanezawa is their flagship factory. It was originally created exclusively to build the NSX. The S2000 now shares an assembly line with the aluminum-bodied NSX and Insight. It is best described as a small-number mass-production custom factory where high-tech production technology and old-time craftsmanship come together. For example, the impressive front end of the S2000 is made with a 1,500-ton press machine to draw, bend, trim, and trim again, in an exact, precise method. In order to produce the strengthened chassis for the S2000, Honda developed a variety of new welders including custom hand-held welders for the X-frame based body. A track goes along the ceiling that can move plus raise and lower the bodies as they go through the factory. With the exception of some welding and painting robots, the S2000 is almost 100% hand-built (assembly and installation). Aside from such unique features, uncompromising quality control and precise production are the pride of the factory.

Sorry I don't recall the source for the above description, it's been in my files for some time.

 

As for the original question, "hand built" does not necessarily equate to quality built. . . it can be but it can just as easily be crap. Since very expensive limited production cars are almost all hand built (assembled) the term is often used when referring rare and desirable automobiles. But reliability is often an issue with those same rare and desirable vehicles. I suspect Honda would automate everything if possible but like the Viper and other limited production cars it's not cost effective, nor necessary.