Unboxing New Age Manufacturing

Manufacturing processes have come under a scrutiny lens again! Ashish Bhatia looks at the changes globally, influencing a re look for the better.

- Ashish Bhatia

Shop floors and processes underwent significant changes in the aftermath of COVID-19 and supply-chain bottlenecks taught more than a thing or two. Even as manufacturers did well to hedge themselves against over-dependencies, with heavy investments to introduce efficiencies for ‘Just-In-Case’ and automation on select product lines, there is a headroom for further improvement. Global OEMs led by Tesla more recently are claimed to have found some path breaking ways with a direct bearing on Turn Around Times (TAT) and go-to-market strategies. The debates sparked off as a result translated to the community revisiting the shop floor layouts and processes to check for redundancies and further scope of consolidation.

Tesla pilot 

TSLA.O is Tesla’s new vehicle assembly system, unveiled earlier this year. While the industry digs deeper to classify it as radical, revisionist or derivative, the “unboxed” process as CEO, Elon Musk, calls it is a step in the direction of radically rethinking conventional manufacturing methods. The expected outcome is more affordable and profitable electric vehicles in the company’s case. With investors keenly watching the most valuable auto maker in its progress towards building an under USD 30,000 EV (Down from USD 40,000 at present), the unboxed assembly process seemingly holds the key as per media reports. Experts are keenly glued to discover the potential to dramatically lower production costs.

Tesla first revealed the process at its Investor Day on March 01, 2023. Deemed as a process capable of making next-generation Teslas “significantly simpler and more affordable.”