AirShip Technologies Group
Don't Tell Us We Can't Change The World!
AirShipTG Manufacturing and Plant
Once the Delorean ATG is fully developed and certified, an AirShip Technologies Group 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 and production. They will work in self-directed teams, with each team picking its own leader and setting its own work procedures until the best efficient production plan emerges. Once the production plan is configured and set, one efficient production method will be used. 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 with one traditional linear production operation per product line.
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 incentives for areas hard hit by economic recession; and a site location large enough to incorporate road track test facilities. Major consideration will be given to optimization of employee wage rates, labor availability, proximity to customers, access to parts delivery, state and local laws (including light manufacturing zoning), and utilities and rates.
Of those states under consideration for locating a AirShipTG facility, the U.S. 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 state locations 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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The SILICON FOREST Map highlights over 60 prominent Oregon and Washington high tech companies that AirShip Technologies Group can work with in a business technology cluster.
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Plant and Equipment. To achieve the high manufacturing and assembly precision required for AirShipTG's products, an all new-plant or converted facility will be acquired to meet the AirShip's manufacturing requirements. The plant will be devoted exclusively to the manufacture of AirShipTG spherical induction motor (SIM) track sphere technology and assembly to ground transit vehicles. Once the location and siting is finalized, the final facility plant will be acquired and fully operational within one year of capitalization.
From the on-set, this new AirShipTG factory will be clean and modern. In fact, it will look more like an electronics plant than a car factory. The track spheres are assembled at the plant including the assembly of the hub frames, electromagnets, and the complete spherical induction motor track spheres. Parts supplier subcontractors will be enlisted where necessary.
Initially, the star configuration assemblies will yield early production of approximately 12 to 20 Spherical Induction Motors per day. The plan is to increase production twenty-fold to 400 Spherical Induction Motors per day.
As markets are proven, it is expected that the first two year's identified market will yield 3,800 and 13,750 track spheres mounted to production vehicles. Although AirShipTG's overall track sphere SIMs is designed for consumer purposes, the firm plans to launch law enforcement and military harden product versions as well. These specially configured Track Sphere SIMs will be built for missions in rescue, surveillance, and defense. Standard vehicle mission Track Sphere assemblies will allow customers to choose the same basic equipment with the most popular options being designed into commercial-related assemblies for production cars, long haul trucks and monorail applications. The plant's goals are a) to achieve safety and quality equal to world-class levels of excellence; b) reach volume-production efficiency with minimum production expense; c) ensure a minimum number of defects to maximize the pass rate for all components; and d) fulfill the unique needs of the AirShipTG customer.
The initial plant configuration will have an automated conveyor system to move the vehicles from one workstation to the next. Each chassis will be mounted on a robotics dolly and moved to the next station once the assembly team at the previous station is satisfied that it has performed its task completely and precisely.
PROPOSED AIRSHIPTG MANUFACTURING FACILITY AND TEST TRACK
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
TO SCALE AIRSHIPTG MANUFACTURING FACILITY AND TEST TRACK
Final quality control will be conducted at rest and at track speed. An expert test operator for multiple laps will operate each vehicle on a multi-mile, high-banked oval and flat track to test ground function of major vehicle systems. Function testing of major systems will be conducted through test scenarios designed to test the transit, turn and parking maneuverability, full forward or reverse and both the 180 and 360-turnabout. Every vehicle will be tested for brake performance, wind noise and ground surface high-speed stability. This is to ensure that when the track spheres or track sphere enabled vehicles are delivered to the customer, it has met the highest manufacturing standards and performance goals.
Track Sphere Pricing. Delorean ATG Track Sphere Maglev Spherical Induction Motor. Fundamentally, a set of four SIMs will provide all of the base functions of a vehicle’s propulsion, braking, steering, and suspension. The estimated price of a 24" to 32" Track Sphere is $979. The estimated price of a 32" to 48" Track Sphere is $1,174. The price includes the SIM control module, but the Lithium-ion power storage batteries are extra. Therefore, we basically have the entire base function of the vehicle operation reflected in the base product, and the only remaining items are a) the human interfaces (steering wheel and foot pedals), b) vehicle manufacturer’s external body and interior comfort, c) convenience, d) style, e) safety items and f) battery power. These functions represent significantly high value towards a vehicle’s total value proposition. Depending on the target vehicle, the price tag is within reason and competitive for hyper-efficient green eco vehicles.
The Track Sphere Manufacturing Cost Breakdown identifies part and labor costs for both AirShipTG and its suppliers. The causes of work that produce the track sphere 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, labor time in hours, and quality measurement goals. AirShipTG's track sphere total price for all four track spheres is $3,915 per car. At this price, the AirShipTG is expected to produce a target profit of $758 or a 19.35% profit profit margin for a set of four track spheres sold by the firm. For the electric truck, the track sphere price for 10 track spheres is $11,744 including a $2,272 target profit for a profit of margin of 19.35%. Of course the true price of the track sphere maglev assembly will be dictated by the market!
