Audi Wins Prestigious Automotive Lean Production Award Again

ZETLAND, AUSTRALIA – Sept 20, 2010: Quality, process safety and ergonomics ensured the production system at AUDI AG took top honours in this prestigious award. A recent study in German trade journal ‘Automobil Produktion’ makes clear just how successful the Audi has been at further optimising its production processes.

Just like last year, the journal’s jury of experts declared Audi the winner of the Automotive Lean Production Award. And, for the first time, the ‘Manufacturer’ category was won not by an individual production sector but by an entire car production facility – that of the Audi A4, A5 and Q5 at the Ingolstadt site.

“We use our employees’ creative ideas when designing and realising our production system. The continuous process of improvement at Audi succeeds thanks to each and every employee’s initiative and commitment,” emphasizes Peter Kössler, plant manager at the Ingolstadt site. “Winning the Automotive Lean Production Award once again provides recognition for our team.”

In workshops close to production lines, Audi allows its employees to independently and promptly implement ideas which enhance ergonomics or “poka-yoke” measures (avoidance of errors).

One such idea which has been put into practice is a bolt dispenser: it automatically supplies an employee with the precise number of bolts they require to complete a given task. This saves time and helps to minimise errors.

“Often, it is many small steps which together enable a giant leap to be made,” says Gerhard Schneider, Head of A4/A5/Q5 Production in Ingolstadt. “The bolt dispenser is a good example of our lean philosophy: we avoid waste.”

Another example is the ‘supermarkets’ which are not far from the assembly line. Here, a basket of necessary ‘goods’ is assembled in advance and then delivered to the line at just the right time. This considerably reduces the complexity of line operations.

The jury for the Automotive Lean Production Award was also impressed by Audi’s responses to challenges presented by demographic trends as well as the company’s ergonomic solutions to production issues. “We always take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of workers of different ages when we plan workstations,” explains Kössler.

For example, an employee installing head airbags maintains an ergonomically optimal posture thanks to an ergonomic assembly seat, which allows the employee to glide into the vehicle’s interior. Handling devices assist employees during such procedures as the installation of batteries weighing as much as 30 kilograms.

“Efficiency is boosted if employees are given ideal conditions to work in,” emphasizes Kössler.

The ‘front-loading concept’ also convinced members of the jury. Even during the proverbial first brush strokes, Audi Production employees play an active role in creating a new model – long before a vehicle is production-ready. This ensures that the Audi Production system’s principles are observed right from the start, which consequently keeps production processes as streamlined and efficient as possible.

This year’s Automotive Lean Production Award is the fifth presented by the ‘Automobil Produktion’ trade journal and Agamus Consult, a management consultancy. More than 60 companies take part in this renowned competition’s five categories. AUDI AG was last year’s winner of the ‘Manufacturer’ category for its A3 assembly line.