This Sunday, it will be 7 weeks since I had placed the order for my car.
The delivery timeframe is 7 to 10 weeks, so I hope it will not be long now.
Hopefully, everything is running smoothly on the Tesla assembly line in Fremont, California, without a major backlog of computer chips or other parts.
I am sure they use just-in-time manufacturing, also known as the Toyota Production System (TPS). Toyota pioneered and adopted the system in the 1970s. Its success relies on steady production, high-quality workmanship, no machine breakdowns, and reliable suppliers, though.
It takes about 4 days from raw materials (such as coiled aluminum plate for the body panels) to a fully assembled car.
Giant robots on the factory floor in Fremont, assembling the aluminum panels to make the outer shell of Tesla Model S cars. Robots are extremely good at precision and repetitive tasks. Even so, some 10,000 humans work alongside them. Believe it or not, humans are still more intelligent than robots, and can do some tasks better, or offer suggestions for increasing efficiencies. [Still from YouTube video by WIRED magazine].After the shells had been painted, the car is assembled from the inside out, into the shell. Each car has its own cart that moves on a magnetic track for the assembly. This makes the ‘assembly line’ very flexible and nimble, and easy to switch from one Tesla model to another, with very little set-up time. [Still from a YouTube video by WIRED magazine].
