danemayer
Well-known member
I remember when robots were being introduced to assembly lines. Of course robots require complete and correct set of assembly plans or nothing will go together at all. In the early days of robotic assembly lines, that pretty much meant that each and every product had its own assembly line. Maybe the robots are more flexible today, or maybe they still pretty much need a separate assembly line for each model.
If you're manufacturing millions of automobiles each year, I'd expect you could economically build a separate assembly line for each model and keep the assembly parameters tight enough for the robots to work.
In a low volume manufacturing business, where there could be 16 different models/floor plans occupying the 16 assembly stations, robots (or robotic people) might not work so well. If allowed, human beings can be much more flexible than robots and can handle those differences. But the downside is that precision placement of wires is subject to the judgement of those humans.
In a restaurant with a handful of assembly workers (chefs?), maybe it's possible to train and manage to a higher standard. Is it more challenging with hundreds of assembly line workers who change employers for an extra $0.25/hour?
And from a management point of view, I'd guess they think it doesn't create a problem for owners if the placement of a wire varies by a few inches. The vast majority of owners will never know or care about the wire placement. Of the few who have problems, most of those will have techs fixing the problem.
Heartland expects repairs will mostly be done by trained technicians. I'm sure they realize that some owners prefer to do their own work. Should they make changes to accommodate that minority? If doing so slows down production and increases cost, is that worthwhile to the majority? Or should they pursue what they believe to be the most cost-effective way to build a trailer that satisfies the requirements of the majority?
Of course the labeling of circuit breakers should be legible and accurate. There's an employee on the line who needs to be given some additional direction.
IMO, it's really not a big deal to turn off breakers and see what each one controls. Yep, that's a half-hour I'll never get back. I'd rather it was done right at the factory, but I don't get wound up about small things that can easily be corrected.
Just my 2 cents worth.
