
Manufacturing Strategy
Every bit as much as the Safricar design, the approach to assembling automobiles is one of the social innovations of this initiative.
We envisage a decentralized approach to assembly, with at least one “plant” in each province.
Assembly will be relatively labour intensive and team-centred. A team (of 4 or 5 workers) will assemble each vehicle. An assembly-line will not be used, rather the old Volvo approach of team work.
At the centre of a complex or “hive”, will be the warehouse or “queen bee”. Day by day, teams can withdraw from the warehouse the components they need.
Teams will follow a step-by-step checklist of activities in a Guide, like:
Step 1 – Fixing axles onto chassis
Step 2 – Fitting tyres onto rims
Step 3 – Lowering engine onto chassis
Step 4 – Connecting drive train
Each team in the hive will be busy assembling one vehicle at a time. This labour-intensive approach requires some training, but keeps the focus on Job Creation as opposed to mechanization.
This approach is fundamental to both quality control and C4L’s goal – namely to reduce youth unemployment.
The Safricar should develop a reputation for being “handmade”, not mass-manufactured.
Good bye Frederick Taylor and Henry Ford. Hello Ray Kroc and Colonel Sanders. Bring production as close as possible to end-user consumption. Let the vehicles on the roads of each province be manufactured in that same province.
Invest in the youth, not just in assembly-line production or particular brand.
