Will Aston Martins continue to be Handbuilt?
Discussion
Handbuilt does have a certain craftsmanship charm about it.
Looking at some car factory videos, I have been amazed at the amount of automated production now in use for car manufacturing.
How can we notice higher quality achieved by human assembly?
The Mercedes S class appears top quality and to take one example, there were probably no paid employees involved in the dashboard installation. That is entirely done by robots, for at least one Mercedes model.
Changing from human to robot must be very expensive, but subsequently the manufacturing costs would presumably be reduced enormously, eventually permitting lower list prices, or increased profitability.
https://youtu.be/8i9UhfWMHtk
https://youtu.be/_mCzaS-nKaY
https://youtu.be/fh5ETuJExKw
The days of hand-rolling the aluminium panels on an English wheel, on-site machining of engine blocks and production, machining and hand finishing of all manner of components are long gone. Even Aston Martins haven’t been ‘hand built’ since Newport Pagnell.
Production of mass market cars across the world became automated from the 70s and really took off in the 1980s.
Hand Assembled’ is probably more accurate for the Gaydon production lines (and the words on the sill plaque..), where pretty much all components and sub-assemblies are bought in, then glued, screwed or clipped together. Fact is, humans can’t generally ever achieve the same quality, consistency and repeatability as automation. AM does apply some automation where it is the only way to achieve the required quality, for example chassis glue application. Pockets of hand-process remain, for example some of the leather stitching and trimming, painting and finishing, and the one-man engine assembly process, even though most of the Gaydon engines would have been built by a single German in Germany.
It is curious how the Gaydon-era engines did (and largely do) remain built (assembled) by one (German) man, but who’s name does AM put on the engine bay plaque? - the name of the individual who ‘inspects’ it
(yes I know AM would point out that the plaque is supposed to refer to the ‘final inspection’ of the whole car, but they also very well know that most customers will automatically assume that plaque, due to its location, refers to the engine, and AM are continuing the Newport Pagnell tradition). Cynical really..
You are correct that automation requires huge investment, though this is only justified by production volumes way beyond AML.
Production of mass market cars across the world became automated from the 70s and really took off in the 1980s.
Hand Assembled’ is probably more accurate for the Gaydon production lines (and the words on the sill plaque..), where pretty much all components and sub-assemblies are bought in, then glued, screwed or clipped together. Fact is, humans can’t generally ever achieve the same quality, consistency and repeatability as automation. AM does apply some automation where it is the only way to achieve the required quality, for example chassis glue application. Pockets of hand-process remain, for example some of the leather stitching and trimming, painting and finishing, and the one-man engine assembly process, even though most of the Gaydon engines would have been built by a single German in Germany.
It is curious how the Gaydon-era engines did (and largely do) remain built (assembled) by one (German) man, but who’s name does AM put on the engine bay plaque? - the name of the individual who ‘inspects’ it
(yes I know AM would point out that the plaque is supposed to refer to the ‘final inspection’ of the whole car, but they also very well know that most customers will automatically assume that plaque, due to its location, refers to the engine, and AM are continuing the Newport Pagnell tradition). Cynical really..
You are correct that automation requires huge investment, though this is only justified by production volumes way beyond AML.
Edited by Calinours on Thursday 9th March 10:02
" How can we notice higher quality achieved by human assembly " ? I think its very similar to a good pair of Northamptonshire Brogues , I believe there is something very organic and tactile even emotionally moving about a Craftsman creating something by hand . I was tempted to say " very English " but knowing some Italian Ferrari Enthusiasts , I know they feel exactly the same way .
As regards Quality , I think that although it may be handbuilt to a high standard , we can forgive the Product one or two indiscretions , perhaps even making excuses by reasoning that we couldn't have done much better ourselves .
As regards Quality , I think that although it may be handbuilt to a high standard , we can forgive the Product one or two indiscretions , perhaps even making excuses by reasoning that we couldn't have done much better ourselves .
Hand built (and the last time that I visited Gaydon) with the help of one robot busy glueing, nicknamed the James Bonder.)
The DBX seems to have been sometimes 'Hand built in Wales' (country) and at other times, 'Hand built in Great Britain' (nation).
Wonder what the story behind that is ?
Hand built is one of the reasons an Aston Martin is an Aston Martin. A large part of the allure is that they are "custom" built. If you wanted a mass built sports car, they are many out there that can outperform ANY Aston. For me, it's the "Hand Built" nature and the uniqueness that this brings.
Jon39 said:
The DBX seems to have been sometimes 'Hand built in Wales' (country) and at other times, 'Hand built in Great Britain' (nation).
Wonder what the story behind that is ?
They realised that 'Hand built in Wales' sounds a bit crap so changed it to GB. Frankly I'd have done that to start with.Wonder what the story behind that is ?
Maybe they had to do it for a year to get a grant from the Welsh government? There is always a reason...
Simpo Two said:
They realised that 'Hand built in Wales' sounds a bit crap so changed it to GB. Frankly I'd have done that to start with.
Maybe they had to do it for a year to get a grant from the Welsh government? There is always a reason...
I just had these Plates fitted to my Vantage today up at Aston Works . A ridiculous situation that would shame even the notoriously parsimonious people at Porsche , these Plates are an Optional Extra on the Vantage . After initially ordering I was contacted for my preference , either Great Britain or England .Maybe they had to do it for a year to get a grant from the Welsh government? There is always a reason...
Apparently it changed to Great Britain in 2020 was the Parts Guys advice ( spin off from BREXIT ? ) but they still apparently offer a choice when fitting retrospectively .
Edited by reddiesel on Thursday 9th March 19:57
Jon39 said:
Hand built (and the last time that I visited Gaydon) with the help of one robot busy glueing, nicknamed the James Bonder.)
The DBX seems to have been sometimes 'Hand built in Wales' (country) and at other times, 'Hand built in Great Britain' (nation).
Wonder what the story behind that is ?
Later more recent cars say Great Britain, due to the bodies being painted at St Athan. I suspect the DBX was due to alignment with the rest of the range.
Edited by Ninja59 on Thursday 9th March 20:06
Do they have a choice not to be hand built/assembled ? without the production volume or a rich owner with millions to invest in new factories, how could they automate production ?
Anyone know of any low volume independent sports car manufacturers that have automated production of their own ?
Anyone know of any low volume independent sports car manufacturers that have automated production of their own ?
reddiesel said:
After initially ordering I was contacted for my preference , either Great Britain or England .
Apparently it changed to Great Britain in 2020 was the Parts Guys advice ( spin off from BREXIT ? )
I can't think it was anything to do with Brexit. Otherwise pre-Brexit we'd have had to label it 'Hand built in the EU'.Apparently it changed to Great Britain in 2020 was the Parts Guys advice ( spin off from BREXIT ? )
Great Britain is a handy coverall for all parts of the UK, sounds good and is right for the brand
My car has not been restored so the body is as built except for some local crash damage repair from before my time. It's clear that "Charlie" made one side and "George" made the other because they're noticeably different
The crash was going into a ditch in snow, on the way to a shooting party sometime in the early 70s
The crash was going into a ditch in snow, on the way to a shooting party sometime in the early 70s
Simpo Two said:
Great Britain is a handy coverall for all parts of the UK, sounds good and is right for the brand
My geography teacher told me,
Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom does include Northern Ireland.
Macdeb should be pleased, his dealer is now being ignored. -
Poor show that 'Hand built in Wales', is no longer being used for the DBX though.
The only car manufacturer in Wales and following all that Welsh help, for AML to set up in Wales.
What is the betting that a Texan customer, when receiving a new Aston Martin DBX, perhaps said;
"Have we met be-fo-wah? Aah lak ole DBX. She's show 'nuff purty.
Where y'all be Wales?"
Jon39 said:
My geography teacher told me,
Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom does include Northern Ireland.
True.Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom does include Northern Ireland.
I believe it is called 'great' not because of the Empire and all that, but from the Roman days to distinguish it from Brittany wot is in France aka Gaul.
alscar said:
Jon39 said:
What is the betting that a Texan customer, when receiving a new Aston Martin DBX, perhaps said;
"Have we met be-fo-wah? Aah lak ole DBX. She's show 'nuff purty.
Not convinced that Texas customer is from Texas..."Have we met be-fo-wah? Aah lak ole DBX. She's show 'nuff purty.
Tried my best. Hope it will not upset our American friends. They will probably be asleep now.
Please show me the correct pronuciation.
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