AirShip Technologies Group
Don't Tell Us We Can't Change The World!
AirShipTG Manufacturing and Plant
Once the AirShip is fully developed, an AirShip Technologies plant will initially employ a small number of up to 30 workers -- many of whom will have had a minimum of 10 years experience in automotive, aircraft and/or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) manufacturing development/production. They will work in self-directed teams, with each team picking its own leader and setting its own work procedures. Team members will be cross-trained to perform all assembly operations and tasks. Eventually, AirShipTG will employ nearly 2,000 workers at the height of production and more traditional production line operations.
Location. The decision to locate the plant will be based on state and local government offerings of high-skilled labor from the automotive and/or aerospace industries; state and local county tax exclusions or reductions, economic zone tax reduction incentives for areas hard hit by economic recession; and a site location large enough to create road track testing facilities. Major consideration will be given to maximizing advantages and minimizing disadvantages for the firm in wage rates, labor unions, labor availability, proximity to customers, access to parts delivery, state and local laws (including zoning), and utilities (including rates).
Of the those states under consideration for locating a 75 to 100-acre AirShip facility, the Pacific Northwest has a high balance of environmental advantages and a high level work force enrolled in technical schools, colleges and other on the job educational institutions; however, other states will be considered. Although multiple states show a strong work ethic, wages in the manufacturing sector are essentially determined by market forces. The rates of pay vary among the states and are based on cost of living. Many highly skilled technical staff are migrating North to the Silicon Forest suburbs of
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Plant and Equipment. To achieve the high manufacturing and assembly precision required in a vehicle of AirShip caliber or the track sphere assembly drive train, an all new-plant or converted defense industry location will be designed to meet the AirShip's development requirements. The plant will be devoted exclusively to the manufacture of this AirShipTG technology. The final plant facility to be acquired will be purchased and fully operational within one year of capitalization.
From the on-set, this new AirShip factory will be clean and modern. In fact, it will look more like an electronics plant than a car factory, as very little manufacturing is actually done on site. The vehicles are assembled there, of course, but the fabrication of the frame composites material, panels and other manufacturing are done at other plants that serve this economic base. Consequently, there is very little noise and no smell of fusing metals.
Initially, the star configuration assembly lines will be modern and the pace fairly leisurely with early production running one AirShip per day. The plan is to increase production to seven AirShips per day by the end of the third production year as workers are added and more experience gained.
It is expected that the first two year's identified market will be 300 to 400 AirShips per year. AirShip Technologies will get closer to the 400 where markets can be proved. Although the AirShip's overall design is for commercial purposes, the firm will launch law enforcement and government mission product versions. These specially configured AirShips will be built for missions in rescue, surveillance, and defense. Standard medium-lift mission packages will allow customers to choose the same basic equipment with the most popular options being designed into mission-related packages. The plant's goals will be to achieve hand-crafted quality that would equal and surpass world-class levels of excellence; to reach volume-production efficiency with a low volume production vehicle; ensure a 100% pass rate for all components; and to fulfill the unique needs of the AirShip owner.
Initially, the plant will employ a unique assembly process, which gives the manufacturing staff complete control over the assembly and quality of the AirShip. The idea is to allow individual skill and assembly know-how to dictate the production flow rather than have it prescribed by a rigid organization plan. This puts the ultimate responsibility for the quality of the final product directly on the assembly worker. Consequently, a high level of skill will be required and skill that will evolve the most efficient manufacturing and assembly process for future mass production of the AirShip via automated robotics. In a radical departure from conventional assembly techniques, the initial plant configuration will have no automated conveyor system to move the vehicle from one workstation to the next. Instead, each chassis will be mounted on a robotics dolly and moved to the next station only when the assembly team at the previous station is satisfied that it has performed its task completely and precisely. PROPOSED AIRSHIP MANUFACTURING FACILITY AND TEST TRACK Final quality control will be conducted at ground and track speed. An expert test operator for multiple laps will operate each AirShip on a multi-mile, high-banked oval and flat track to test ground function of major vehicle systems. Flight function testing of major systems will be conducted through aerodynamic test scenarios designed to test the transit, turn and parking maneuverability, full throttle forward or reverse and both the 180 and 360-turnabout. Every AirShip will be tested for brake performance, wind noise and ground surface high-speed stability. This is to ensure that when the vehicle is delivered to the owner, it has met the highest manufacturing standards and performance goals. Manufacturing Process. The AirShip is an amalgam of pieces supplied from a variety of suppliers and even the substructure body of glass reinforced composite sub-floor is made by a third party supplier using a vacuum assisted resin injection process. Working with the third party supplier, this process will be highly refined for mass production and delivery to the AirShip facility. The composites system uses a vacuum to draw the resin evenly into all areas of the mated molds, thus ensuring accurate thickness and uniform strength. The molds are then packed in an oven where the composites are cured after 90 minutes of baking, and then top and bottom halves are glued together. Once at the AirShip facility, the completed glass reinforced composite sub-floor is transported to a star-workstation where it is mated with a composite or aluminum backbone chassis and exterior body. The vehicle is positioned for final detailing with electronic components, electric motor, hydraulic propulsion systems, electric Track Sphere assembly drivetrain /motors, installation of seats, composite panels, gull-wing doors and interior features. AirShip systems are electronically tested by on board computers which transmit details of test results and system assembly with percent completion to a central file server for management reporting. The AirShipTG’s quality concept is based on "VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER." The customer's perception of quality transforms this voice in clear operational terms and displays the results through the vehicle's value added chain such as design-engineering, manufacture planning, manufacturing operations, and the production work place. It is a clear customer oriented quality approach that reaches 100 percent efficiency in the continuous improvement of quality. It will be emphasized; however, that placing the focus to one of looking to the real protagonist (the customer) as the basis for AirShip quality, the results will pay for the efforts. This provides the firm with a tremendous competitive advantage versus the competition. AirShip Technologies will focus on continuous improvement of quality and safety, and influence the optimization of AirShip service and price. This is not designed to be just another concept car, but this process focused quality improvement starts with a mind-set in the attitude of all the members of the company: Quality defects are opportunities to improve the manufacturing concept and will be considered in this context. The analysis of root causes in a team approach with members of suppliers, quality, and manufacturing is the final step. These steps include applying techniques like synchronous cost reduction workshops to reduce lead time, inventory, floor space, and improved effectiveness (the unit of work per employee per day). AirShip Manufacturing Cost Breakdown, identifies part and labor costs for both AirShip Technologies and its suppliers. The causes of work that produce the AirShip are summarized and supplier inputs and associated costs are estimated. Manufacturing and assembly processes are itemized with their associated accumulative costs. Baseline measurements are provided for cost per unit, time in hours, and quality measurement goals yet to be determined. AirShip's total material and labor are being costed out. Overhead is computed at 15 percent of AirShip cost producing an estimated total cost of $65,482. At this cost, the AirShip is expected to produce a profit of $20,000 at an overall price of $85,482. This is a net profit margin of 23.4 percent for each AirShip sold by the firm. Of course the true price of the vehicle will be dictated by the market! Driving the first operational AirShips will not stem from one technological solution or breakthrough. Rather, the work of the designers and engineers is all-encompassing with close attention to seemingly minor details that are very critical. The developers will pay lots of attention to details such as hybrid electric vehicle green house gas minimization, track sphere propulsion, interior features, and the Gullwing doors.
1. Supplier Truck Receiving 5. Out-processing Storage 9. Flat Test Track & 2. Inventory/Staging Area 6. Observation Test Tower Flyover 3. Work-In-Process Assembly 7. Headquarters Offices/Suite 10. Parking 4. Finished Inventory 8. Banked Test Track 11. Parking 
