Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Auto Collision & Management Technology
www.tstc.edu Auto Collision & Management Technology at Texas State Technical College. From accidents to storm damage, rust, corrosion, acid rain and harsh sunlight, the factors that can damage a vehicle are abundant. No matter what they drive - a sports car, family sedan, pick-up, or mini-van - when vehicle owners go in for repairs or service, they want the job done right. To ensure top-notch service, a repair shop depends on the skills of its technicians. That's why Texas State Technical College designed the Auto Collision & Management Technology (ACM) program to provide students with unique opportunities to build skills and learn techniques. You can gain hands-on experience in TSTC's laboratories that mirror top repair shops in the industry - laboratories such as those in the .1 million, 40000-square-foot state-of-the-art Transportation Technologies Center. TSTC's Auto Collision & Management Technology program features advanced curriculum and technology, industry involvement, expert faculty, exceptional facilities and equipment. The faculty are ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified and I-CAR (Inter-industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) trained - adding depth to the program with industry experience. ASE also awarded ACM its Chairman's Award for its "excellence in the training and education of automotive technicians." Recognized throughout the nation for superior educational training, the ACM program offers "forward thinking," top-of-the-line tools and ...
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Great New Automotive Shop Management Software
Need to sort through a stack of invoices on your desk? Is it hard to keep track of work orders and client history? The use of automotive shop management software will help alleviate all issues and save you time and money in the process. You will no longer loose out on business because of disorganization.
Whether it is to organize the office or keep better track of materials this automotive shop management software will get any shop back on task; the repair of vehicles and not the organization of the office.
Spend less time on paper work and spend more time with clients. Increase the bottom line with this time saving software. It is certain that satisfaction will be rendered with the purchase of this software.
Time is of the essence and with the use of this automotive shop management software hours a day will be saved. This program is equipped to automatically convert scheduled appointment or estimates into work orders, ultimately saving time and an increase in profits. There is also a time saving 'service' (Canned Jobs) built in automatically to save the client time.
This product offers many levels of functionality for an easy upgrade to management and budget needs. These levels of functionality include scheduling, invoicing, receivables and many other features. Online ordering is also available with labor guides to create ease when ordering parts.
With the purchase of this automotive shop management software a great support team will be provided that will be there to meet you software needs. Support is included in the price for the first year of every package bought to ensure satisfaction with every purchase. No matter what the technical problem, the support team will be able to help in a way that is fast and efficient.
Our product offers multi levels of functionality for an easy upgrade for management and budget needs. These levels of functionality include scheduling, invoicing, receivables and many other features. We also offer online parts ordering with labor guides, and other features to create ease when ordering parts and managing your shop labor.
This software is designed to be simple and smooth, while it includes the functionality to meet the needs of the automotive repair shop industry. This specific product provides ease of use and has received high acclaim from both light and heavy duty vehicle repair businesses.
While most businesses have to purchase multiple types of software in order to effectively run their companies, this software gives businesses everything they need in one package. That saves them time, as well as ease of use. By only having to learn one program instead of several, businesses are able to quickly master the features.
Shop Controller provides comfort with the purchase of our software. We hope you will visit http://www.shopcontroller.com or call us at 800.898.2038. With countless hours of research and development, rest assured that this software is capable and will meet the needs of any automotive repair business. From work orders to online orders and everything in-between, this software system has everything an automotive business needs.
Alliance Computer Services, Inc. has been developing software for this industry since 1992. Their four level Shopcontroller program is used internationally. For more information on automotive shop management software visit http://www.shopcontroller.com.
The Kwik-Loader cuts valve insatallation and removal time drastically. It's compact and easy to use design replaces bulky C-clamp style compressors. The white tool is used for keeper removal, simply slide it over the spring pack/retainer and use a mallet to apply downward pressure to the collar. Remove the tool and keepers are ready to take out. To re-assemble, put valve into the guide, install the springs, and place retainer and keepers in position. Using the black tool, hand pressure is sufficient to complete the installation process. It's easier and faster than automotive style compressors, and you can even change valve stem seals without removing cylinder heads. Simply apply air pressure to the assembled head via the spark plug hole, and follow the same procedure above.
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Project Management for the Automotive Industry FROM POME BY GAUTAM KOPPALA VT
Project Management for the Automotive Industry
Project Management can be seen in many different industries: software, construction, films, automotive, etc. In the automotive industry the need for a more efficient way of doing business has become absolutely essential. It is said that "projectized" organizations are approximately forty times more efficient than "functional" organizations. This chapter will look more in depth into the history of project management in this industry and also delve into the organizational structure that a firm in this industry might want to utilize. Computer-aided Design is briefly discussed as well as a glimpse into the future of the automobile.
History
Project management did not become a major part of the Automotive Industry until the Modern Era of the automobile, which defines the industry that has existed for the past 25 years. However, this shift to a more efficient projectized organizational structure had to be made because rising fuel costs following the OPEC crisis and increased competition from new firms entering the industry required companies to increase their efficiency to reduce costs. One of the first automotive manufacturers to introduce this practice was Toyota, which likely owes much of their current success to switching to a projectized structure earlier than most automotive manufacturers. Following the Second World War, General Douglas MacArthur was given the responsibility for governing post-war Japan, with him he brought W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran (two quality control experts of the time) from the US to teach the Japanese people the fundamentals of quality control. The official story of how what is known as "the Toyota Production System" came to be has not been confirmed. It is also possible that the strict army training that the Japanese received was enough to increase their efficiency. Yet, many still recognize "Piggly-Wiggly's just-in-time distribution system" for the credit.
Masaaki Imai, inspired by the book "Total Quality Control" by Armand Feigenbaum (1951), created a new business philosophy in Japan known as Kaizen, which can be defined as "a means of continuing improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life. These practices would later evolve into many others, including Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, and Twelve Sigma.
Organizational Structure
The most prevalent of all the projectized organizational structures closely mirrors the Matrix structure where projects are listed top to bottom and functional areas listed from left to right. Employees under a Matrix structure report to both a functional manager and a project manager. Kentaro Nobeoka and Michael A. Cusamano from MIT's Sloan School of Management further studied the structure of automotive companies to find that they do not use this exact structure, yet in fact they use a slight variation. In their research paper entitled "Multi-project Management: Stratagy and Organization in Automobile Product Development" they found that the basic Matrix model was much too "function-orientated", that is to say that there was a lack of "interdependency" between project teams. Interdependency is necessary in the automotive industry because a vehicle has many parts that all must work together, so it becomes necessary to have many project teams collaborate to create the finished product.
Nobeoka and Cusamano interviewed Japanese firms and found a variation of the matrix structure known as the "Differentiated Matrix"
In this version of the Matrix Structure one can see that the functional departments have been further broken down into individual parts of the automobile (Body, Chassis, etc) and also that some of these functional areas share resources across many project teams. This increased "interdependency" was found to lower the cost and time needed for the overall project; however, it was also apparent that such a structure requires not only a very strong project manager to ensure "inter-project coordination", but also a very strong functional manager to ensure "cross-functional coordination" as well.
Computer-aided Design (CAD)
In 1982, a company known as Autodesk, Inc. released AutoCAD, and although it was only 2d at the time, it still revolutionized the automotive industry. It was the first Computer-aided Design software to run on a home PC (rather than a large mainframe computer).The use of this software by automotive firms has allowed them to optimize time, cost and scope of their projects during the design phase.
Future of the Automotive Industry
Automotive firms in the economic climate that we currently live in have no choice but to choose a more efficient projectized way of planning, designing and manufacturing their products. Soaring fuel prices have caused many consumers to reconsider if they should even be driving a car; therefore, automotive firms now face competition from the public transportation sector of the economy. China and India, the worlds two largest countries by population, have now entered the market and are producing cars at a fraction the cost that Japanese or American firms must pay. Also, global climate change has had a huge effect on this industry, as firms try to make their vehicles more fuel efficient or even make use of new technologies. On the forefront of electric automobiles is the Tesla Roadster manufactured by Tesla Motors of San Carlos, California, U.S.A. Not only is this car 100% electric, but it is also fast enough and stylized enough to be considered a sports car. Tesla Motors uses project teams and has many project management career opportunities.
The following indicative list gives some of the functions that a firm's logistics management system is supposed to perform4:
1. Customer Service: All the activities that are done to keep the existing customers satisfied come under the gamut of customer service.
2. Demand Forecasting: This process includes various statistical measures that enable the firm to estimate the demand in the future, which inturn helps in proper demand management.
3. Documentation Flow: This process covers the movement of the paperwork that accompanies the movement of physical product.
4. Interplant Movements: This is only applicable to those firms where production process is accomplished in more than one plant, requiring the movement of semi-finished products from one plant to another.
5. Inventory Management: Inventory management requires a cost effective maintenance of stocks of goods and materials.
6. Order Processing: Order processing starts with the receipt of an order from a customer and ends when the order is ready for packaging.
7. Packaging: Packaging is done mainly to protect the product when it is being transported from the source to the destination. It can also be used for promotional purposes.
8. Parts and Service Support: This covers the whole after-sales service process.
9. Plant and Warehouse Site Selection: This function is carried to determine where the plant and the warehouse are going to be located, keeping cost-benefit analysis in mind.
10. Production Scheduling: This function's task is to balance demand for products with the existing plant capacity and availability of inputs.
11. Purchasing: This is a very important function in the logistics management as the quality of inputs that are purchased determines the quality of the finished product. Vendor selection is an important sub-process of this function.
12. Returned Products: There are many categories of returned products. A few are subjects of product recalls, meaning that a safety defect or hazard has been discovered. E.g. laptop battery recall by Dell. These products are removed from the shelves, and both retailers and consumers attempt to return them to the manufacturer. This is a form of reverse distribution, with goods moving in the opposite direction of their usual flow.
13. Salvage Scrap Disposal: How a firm takes care of its waste material is covered in this function. The firm might recycle its waste or sell the waste to various processors who specialize in recycling it.
14. Traffic Management: All the transport requirements needed to move a firm's freight is known as traffic management.
15. Warehouse and Distribution Centre Management: This logistics activity involves management of the locations where the firm's inventories are stored.
The automotive industry manufactured components fall under six broad product categories according to Automotive Component Manufactures association (ACMA). These are given in table below.
Table : Classification of Automotive Components according to ACMA
Product Group
Products
Share* (%)
Engine Parts
Pistons, Piston Rings, Engine Valves, Carburetors, Fuel Injection Systems
23
Electrical Parts
Starter Motors and Generators
7
Drive Transmission and Steering Parts
Gears, Clutches, Axles
14
Suspension and Braking Parts
Brakes, Leaf Springs, Shock Absorbers
11
Equipment
Headlights, Dashboard Instruments
8
Others
Sheet Metal Parts, Pressure Die Castings, Tyre Tube Valves and Cores
36
Technology And Manufacturing Process
The body panel and engine constitute a major portion of the total cost of car manufacture. A typical cost structure for car is as given below.
Parts/assembly
% of total cost
Glass
5
Brakes/wheels/tyres
6
Interiors
7
Transmission system
7
Ignition/exhaust system
8
Steering/suspension
9
Comfort fittings
11
Engine
16
Body
18
Others
13
Car manufacturing is basically assembly of components procured from ancillaries or auto component manufacturers. Nearly 80% of auto components are outsourced by the car manufacturers. This helps in reducing the capital cost needed to setup a car manufacturing plant.
With the new entrants planning to start manufacturing facilities with a small capacity base in the country, the role of auto component players will substantially become important over the years.
Product/ Services:
Areas of shop Coverage:
Press/ Dies, Body, Paint and Assembly Shop in vehicle assembly plant
Engine/Transmission machining and assembly line in powertrain manufacturing plant.
Services:
Simultaneous Engineering
Conceptual planning, Basic engineering, Basic design for new-line / line-modification in Green / Brown Field
Logistics Planning
Procurement of Machinery & Equipment
Installation of Equipment
Launching Support
Quality Build Up Activities
Coaching of manufacturing staffs/operators
Continuous Improvement "Kaizen" (covering parts)
Program Management
Digital Engineering
Others
GAUTAM KOPPALA,
POME AUTHOR
GAUTAM KOPPALAWith over ten years, track record of successful leadership, excellent results through strategic skills in driving revenue and profit growth. Demonstrated ability to identify and trouble shoot critical issues impacting productivity, cost, distribution, marketing, Strategic positioning, sales and financial operations, with innate ability to build and maintain strong client relationships in operations. Expert in distilling and managing processes, enhancing internal structures, and promoting multi-skilled team competencies via nurturing mentorship and inspirational leadership. Engagements have spanned operational, strategic, technological and change management roles. Academically, I am a cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (B-Tech E.E.E.) and a post graduate in Masters in Human Resources Management (M.H.R.M.) and Masters of Foreign Trade (M.F.T.). As you will see my Post Graduation's were been studied part-time, as well as working full-time as an Engineer. I feel that this demonstrates my ability to maintain dedication, motivation and enthusiasm for a project management over a long period of time. In addition, balancing full-time work with study has perfected my time-management and organizational skills. I believe that my college degrees and gamut certifications in combination with my extensive broad-based work experience along with my drive, resourcefulness and determination, would make me an excellent candidate for a senior management position with any company. Highlights of my background include Operations related Commercial, Supply chain, Sales with a magnificent experience in Project management, technically oriented towards Automation and Security Systems in Industrial and Building sectors. Presently, writing a book on Projects and Operations Management (comprise of 12 volumes, 6K pages), and awaited for the reputed publications. These books can be checked in Google books and scribd websites too.
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Management Careers In The Heavy Equipment Industry
With ongoing construction activity and the demands created by industries like mining, paving, excavating and agriculture, the application and use of heavy equipment is constantly on the rise. Even by a cursory estimation there must be billions of dollars invested by different sectors in heavy trucks, tractors, excavators, backhoes, wheel loaders, graders, crawler tractors and other heavy equipment. With major dependence on such equipment for the successful and timely completion of projects, it is an imperative that these machines remain in peak working order with minimum downtime. It is absolutely unaffordable to have expensive and important machinery breakdown in the midst of operations with a project reaching an important milestone.
To ensure smooth and effective control of machine and equipment and keep them in top functional order to provide maximum efficiency at optimum cost, it becomes necessary to have qualified personnel for equipment management. Big projects require a variety of heavy machines to be available at different times to maintain proper speed for project completion. Project managers are burdend with a host of varied responsibilities and are hard put to shoulder equipment management responsibilities that form a specialized field and demand unwavering focus.
It is such exigencies that have created a niche for a career in heavy equipment management. Other than captive equipment bought by a company engaged in construction, mining etc. there are now numerous companies which have fleets of heavy equipment/machines for hiring out to such industries. It is a humongous task to keep the functional assets of such a company in proper order to be ready for being put to work at short notice.
The basic responsibilities of an incumbent pursuing a career in heavy equipment management is to improve productivity and efficiency, minimize equipment failure, reduce equipment downtime, improve equipment utilization and deployment, improve security, reduce costs and insurance expenditure and increase profits.
A heavy equipment manager is expected to be an expert in more than a dozen areas. Some of them are as follows.
. Parts management
. Preventive maintenance
. Shop and facilities management
. Benchmarking
. Lifecycle analysis
. Environmental requirements pertaining to fleet management
. Financial management
. Human resources/staffing
. Outsourcing
. Negotiations
. Safety
. Risk management
. Specifications
. Warranty and performance guarantees
. Technology
There is an increasing demand for qualified equipment managers in the heavy equipment industry. There are certification programs for equipment managers, which can lead to a highly paying and socially prestigious job as a certified equipment manager in big companies operating heavy equipment and machinery fleets as also to manage fleets of municipal/government machines. Apart from this, the heavy equipment industry is running short of managers and representatives equipped with current and up to date managerial, technical and communication skills that can fulfill the demands of the expanding and upgraded business environment of the industry.
There is a big scope of employment also at automotive dealerships and repair centers for service managers, parts managers, managers for leasing and general management and for sales and marketing of heavy equipment. Positions open also include those of fleet managers, aftermarket managers, trainers' etc.
A management career in the heavy equipment management has a vast scope of employment across a number of industries and can provide a career option that will prove very satisfying, both socially and economically, to a determined individual.
Heavy Equipment Operator School National Training has over 35,000 graduates and is fully accredited by the DETC. Discover the benefits of becoming a Heavy Equipment Operator. http://www.earthmoverschool.com.
HARIG 618 AUTO-STEP SURFACE GRINDER IN OPERATION @ ROHNER MACHINERY SALES. This machine features full 3-axes automation with auto incremental downfeed which you can set and then once complete the head will retract and cycle complete. Hydraulic 2-axis movement on X&T. Servo downfeed. Plunge grinding also capable. AtRohner Machinery, we pride ourselves in giving the customer top quality new and pre-owned machines for every application. Located in Fullerton, California, Rohner Machinery is a full service machine tool distributor & rebuilder ready to meet any of your needs. We carry a wide variety of equipment from top quality high precision CNC jig borers to conventional mills and lathes. To ensure the quality of our equipment, all of our machines go through a thorough inspection process. We are also a full service rebuilding and repair shop and can handle most any rebuild or repair job. Finally, all of our machines are guaranteed with a return policy to ensure the customer will be satisfied. Call us toll free @ 888-440-4460 Visit us @ www.rohnermachinery.com Or go directly to our Ebay store where all our inventory is listed @ http
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