Lincoln LS: Built to World Class Standards
14 April 1999
Lincoln LS: Built to World Class Standards SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 -- The Lincoln LS is manufactured in
the same assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan that has been the home of Lincoln
automobiles since the 1958 model year. Occupying 47 million square feet of
floor space on a 35-acre site 30 miles northwest of Detroit, the Wixom
Assembly Plant is one of the largest vehicle assembly facilities in the world.
New facilities were constructed at Wixom to support the LS program with the
most modern manufacturing processes.
Building LS to the highest quality goals in Lincoln history was a top
priority for the LS program. To meet these goals, countless design details
and manufacturing practices are new and different. For example, a single
piece body-side outer panel was chosen to assure that door fits and panel gaps
are consistent. This in turn minimizes wind noise, improves appearance, and
helps achieve structural rigidity goals that insure that the body remains
tight and rattle-free throughout its useful life.
Body framing is a highly automated process which relieves workers of
tedious labor and to assure quality control. Approximately 150 robots are
used to precisely weld individual panels together in a series of framing
fixtures. At the end of the underbody and framing lines laser cameras inspect
fifty critical points to assure that the body manufacturing processes stay
within precise engineering standards.
Extensive use of aluminum panels (hood, front fenders, deck lid) and an
unusual hood and grille design necessitate innovative material handling and
cutting at Wixom. Inner and outer hood panels are hemmed and welded together
in the plant for tight control over critical dimensions. LS's signature
"waterfall" grille and aluminum hood offer an example of the precision of the
car's design and assembly: after the inner and outer hood panels are joined, a
special laser cutting creates a precisely accurate aperture with no distortion
of the surrounding surfaces.
Wixom uses a computer-controlled in-line vehicle sequencing build system
(ILVS) utilizing pre-assembled modules that arrive at the plant "just in time"
as complete sub-assemblies ready for installation.
The body paint process gives LS a glossy "wet look" finish. High solid
content base coats give the final finish a lustrous depth and clarity. After
the first urethane clear coat, each car is wet sanded to level the finish and
enhance the gloss level, then a final clear coat is applied.
A transportable four-post road simulator is used to check for rattles at
various temperatures and over different computer-controlled road surfaces. To
check ongoing build quality, a vehicle fresh from the assembly line can be
driven into this huge device and be thoroughly evaluated in a matter of
minutes. This facility is capable of temperatures ranging between -- 20 and
120-degrees Fahrenheit.
A special room for interior and exterior color control at Wixom can be
used to make sure that interior upholstery, trim material, and exterior fascia
assemblies match rigorous design standards.
As a further sign of Lincoln's commitment to the quality of LS, senior
Ford executives have been assigned as "champions" to key suppliers to make
sure that corporate engineering standards are continuously being met, and that
production tools can run at the full rate and still deliver the desired level
of quality.
With all these modern systems in place at Wixom, LS vehicle operations
manager Mark Grassnig believes, "The Lincoln LS should be the highest quality
launch in our history."
