Hand Built -- What does it mean?

[SugrueNSX]

They are assembled or built by hand not made by hand.:tongue:

An assembly line does not preclude that the assembly is by machine.
The NSX was built on a assembly line as well but, assembled by hand.

All true

 

[Shumdit]

. In any case I see no reason that an NSX could not be built on an automated line if you could sell enough of them.

Possibly, but they did not.

However like most large corporations they have a marketing department whose job it is to spew propaganda.
So the guys in engineering say “We can’t justify spending $400 million on a line for the NSX because we only project to sell twenty thousand in the next 15 years, so we will build them by hand.”

It seems pretty apparent that they assumed they would have sold 20000 within 5 years, as they did not know the market was about to go to hell in the early 90's, and I think they could have justified a line using that assumption, considering building a whole friggin plant is more costly than a single assembly line in an existing plant.

Marketing translates this into “ To ensure the highest manufacturing standards, each NSX will be made lovingly by hand on a dedicated line using our most experienced technicians”
So of course it says that in you brochure. What would you expect them to say?

Not going to disagree that marketing will always put the best spin on a given situation, regardless of the degree of truth in it. This is human nature (and smart business!)

And of course if you are going to assemble cars by hand then you would want to use the best auto workers because any idiot can stand and watch a production line once it’s running.

#1: Relocating these people and their families and paying the wages they command with all of the experience seems like a waste of money if the beancounters are running the show
#2 Even a production line requires skilled workers, not idiots who watch the cars go down them. They are building automobiles, not making a Hershey bar.

I don’t see that having a dedicated factory or housing the line under the same roof as an existing plant makes much difference?

I think from a $$$ standpoint (which is the argument about why the cars are hand-assembled) it does make a difference, and this would be the biggest hole in your point of view, in my opinion.

Anyway I don’t think we should argue about it. It’s not that important and it’s just my opinion that (like other limited production exotics) the numbers do not add up to allow a fully automated line.?

Not arguing, just discussing 2 points of view.

But what the hell do I know? I’m just an idiot with internet access and too much time on my hands. ?

Not going to even touch this one:biggrin: