Project Report to International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP), M.I.T.International Assembly Plant Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: During the past fiscal year, we have worked closely with a number of researchers from around the world to develop a questionnaire that will provide us with a fuller understanding of the value-chain issues that surround current automobile manufacturing. While centered on the assembly plant, we are also looking at the interface between the plants and their suppliers, as well as the plants and their distributors. We will summarize these efforts, as well as our timetable for data collection. In this writeup we are focusing only on the work undertaken in relation to assembly plants. We have also done extensive work in the Modularization/Outsourcing project that is helping to pave the way for some of the assembly plant work; please refer to the separate report on that project.