MAKING PRODUCTION PAY OFF

This article considers what the United States automobile industry is doing to increase productivity. One effect of the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations is to force the down-sizing of automobiles, and in changing factories to produce such new models, the manufacturers are introducing new technology that will increase productivity. There will be wider use of industrial robots, adaptive controllers and programmable controllers, ceramic inserts to permit higher cutting speeds, computerized automatic inspection of work in process and automatic testing of engines and transmissions, computerized production control. But there is another tool found in every factory that can have more of an impact on productivity and quality than any other factor. That tool is the hourly employee. What is called the quality of work life is being scrutinized by the auto industry more than ever before. The example of Japanese and West German managements, which encourage workers to enter the decision-making process is being seriously considered. The General Motors Corporation in particular is deliberately trying to involve more employees in the decision-making process while improving relationships between union and management.