Volvo. A Culture of Innovation
by All Vovo on 03/26/12
We like (okay love) our Volvos on SO MANY levels. And, after reading this wonderful blog post (found at: http://www.volvoblog.us/2012/02/21/where-is-the-assembly-line/ ) by Dan Johnston, I am reminded that at the very core of Volvo--all the way back to Sweden--there is a culture of innovation. There's a daring nature to do things the best way possible even if that means being outside the norm. Quick to adopt new technology, but also unafraid to keep things simple.
I especially like this exerpt from the post:
"An interesting point about the Swedes is their adoption of technology. No, not the way most of us adopt something, because it’s new/cool/fun to own but because their idea is finding ways to improve the way they live. Just look at their furniture – it is comfortable, economic in design and just looks good. Now, for those of you who own a Volvo, look at our seats. Clean in design and probably the best you will ever find. I think the Scandinavians were one of the first to use simple designs to improve the way we sit.
Volvo is the same when adopting technology into manufacturing. They do not see robotic assembly taking away hard, dirty work from an assembly worker, but rather that it helps to provide a better quality of work life, ensures a higher level of overall build quality, and just makes good business sense. Years ago, when we started using robotic welding and materials handling, one of the guys taking us around the plant said “… it seems Americans fight having automatic assembly, here we are always looking for ways to help employees and build better cars.” He was our host and I wasn’t going to burst his bubble with his choice of words, I just thought “fight” was a little short of reality, we just have a different point-of-view."
Dan goes on to describe a different sort of "team assembly" situation that is similar, but essentially different than the assembly line practiced in most other automobile manufacturing. Many of the methods used in manufacturing at Volvos Kalmar plant, although innovative and holistic, were eventually seen as not quite "lean" enough to turn proper profits. Studies after the fact, though, show many benefits that may not have been given enough time to be realized.
Okay, so that's pretty heavy stuff, but I think for anyone trying to understand what makes Volvo special, it's these kinds of things that remind even the biggest fan, what Volvo is all about---and that it's more than JUST a car. Dan Johnston says it very well at the end of his post:
"In thinking about what makes Volvo unique, it’s the idea that at the core of what we do is how Volvo impacts people’s lives. Finding ways to enrich those who touch Volvo, whether it be the assembly line fellow and trying to make his work life better or whether it be those who buy Volvos and enriching their lives through safety and Scandinavian heritage."
