be degrading? I was reading a looong article on Diamler-Chrysler...read one of the lines in it:

"The company's (Chrysler's) average labor hours per vehicle shrank 8% in 2002, to 41, according to Harbour & Associates. But that's well behind industry leader Nissan at 29....."

Only 29 hrs of labor per car?? Speaks volumes about the level of manufacturing efficiency Nissan has achieved but....is this why quality appears to have suffered?

Ur guess is as good as mine....

 

That seems to be a measurement of efficiency - not attention spent per vehicle.

Less time spent on each vehicle means more profit.

PLEASE don't compare quality of Nissan vs. Chrysler..

 

efficiency, that is...

 

I think Nissans problem is more related to vendor consolidation/cost cutting. The rest of the problem is related directly to the people manning the phones on the customer service line and those doing service writing.

 

this is a direct quote from Playboy mag (yes.. there are some good article in there too.. )

"according to Harbour and Associates, avg number of hours required to build a vehicle at Nissan, The car manufacturer with the fastest US assembly lines: 18. Number required to build a Honda, the company with the second fastest US assembly line: 20. Number of hours required by GM, sixth fastest: 26. By Fordthe seventh fastest 27"