Who has the most productive auto manufacturing plants in the U.S.?
According to the 2007Harbour Report, among multi-plant manufacturers that honor goes to Toyotaand Chrysler. Both scored 30.37 hours to fully assemble a vehicle. Chrysler improved 7.7 percent while Toyota actually fell 1.5 percent.
Closely following the leaders by less than 3.5 hours are Honda, General Motors, Nissan and Ford. These four have been persistently closing the productivity gap over the past five years.
It's worth noting from the Harbour Report press release that:
"Toyota fabricates and assembles a greater percentage of its vehicle parts with its own employees, while the Detroit Three purchase many modules and subassemblies from suppliers, thus saving labor. Toyota also has retained nearly all its employees even in plants that experienced lower production."
