OK, We're Done

In our ever expanding search for things to do around Gaffney, and in an effort to stay cool in the mid 90's temperatures that we've been enjoying, we have managed to visit a couple of neat places.

On Thursday, we arranged a tour of the Freightliner assembly plant, just a few miles from the service facility where we're "camped". As usual, photography is strictly prohibited inside the factory, but is still a fascinating place to visit. Freightliner was founded in 1940, purchased by Mercedes-Benz in 1981 and continues to be part of Daimler AG, an international company. The Gaffney plant is 289,000 sq ft, employs more than 600 people, and produces an average of 50,000 chassis a year. Three "lines" operate here; the walk-in van line (UPS trucks), school bus line, and the RV and commercial bus line. At the head of the three lines engines and transmissions are married, and, with a cart full of specific engine parts (belts, hoses, etc), is sent down the line, arriving at just the critical moment in each line when it is needed. All the parts and pieces are continually monitored via RFID to insure a correct chassis as ordered by the customer. For example, the frame rails for all UPS trucks are made of galvanized steel as compared to primer/paint on others, and they arrive at the Walk-in line at precisely the correct moment.

We were particularly interested in the rv line, of course, and it was amazing to see how the chassis are flipped, turned, and rotated as the front and rear axle assemblies are installed. Sent on down the line to the engine installation area, four techs slip the engine/transmission into place and bolt it up in 20 minutes as the assembly line continues to slowly move. At the end, just as the chassis go out the door, they are given a wheel alignment procedure, ensuring a complete, correct, and drivable chassis.

Our tour guide, Dan, was a wealth of information, having worked on the production line for years. Donna and I were a two person group, so he was able to spend about 2 hours with us as we walked through the plant. At the conclusion of the tour, we were presented with a silver commemorative key ring. A nice touch! Thanks, Freightliner!

We had a late lunch at the Trackside Diner, a small sandwich shop quite literally along the railroad tracks in downtown Gaffney.

The diner has been in this same location for years, and provides lunches to many of the people working in the area. I must say....I ordered a corned beef sandwich (not cardiac friendly), with spicy mustard. What I got was....sliced corned beef.....brown mustard.....on white sliced bread. That's it. No other condiments. Be careful what you order!

On Friday, we were able to take advantage of a cancellation and tour the BMW assembly plant in Greer, SC. Greer is a small town a few miles south of Spartanburg, and the plant address is Spartanburg. The facility is huge! Again, photos inside are verboten, but we snapped a pic of the entrance to the Performance Building, with appropriately equipped vehicles parked outside.

 Adjacent to the Performance Center, a track has been constructed for both testing purposes and for use as a driving school. Citizens can sign up (and presumably pay for) a driving session using a BMW provided vehicle. There is a circular "skid ring" where water is sprayed on the track so that the driver can learn to handle the car in adverse conditions.

Our tour began at the northeast entrance to the main assembly plant.

Again, as with most vehicle manufacturing or assembly plants, the building is huge. At 1.2 million sq ft under one roof, this plant ranks among the largest. Once checked in, and cell phone shut down was verified, we boarded a tram made from the lower bodies of X3 BMW's, complete with center consoles and oem seats! We were driven through the plant, stopping at various places for our tour guide to fill us in on what was happening. X3's and X5's are built here, both for domestic and export. Each vehicle body arrives from the paint shop with an RFID box attached to the hood containing all the particulars for that vehicle. Each vehicle is built to specific order, either by an individual or by a dealer, and must be built to that exact order. No random drawing here!

Each body is flipped, turned, and pushed as it goes down the line, with doors, windows, engines and sunroofs being installed. Much of the work is automated. For example, sunroofs are installed by a robot that laser-measures the opening just prior to installation, and then installs the sunroof, going through the open windshield with only millimeters to spare, and attaching it securely in less than a minute!

Remember that RFID box attached to the hood? After a test drive, multiple inspections under high intensity light, and a final pat, the "Baby is Spanked". That means that the RFID is removed from the small hole in the hood, the BMW emblem is placed, and the crew member "spanks" the emblem into place with a rubber mallet! It's now officially a BMW.

Nice tour, but very tightly controlled with very little room for questions, and no time to dawdle at any one area. Still in all, very nice cars, in a spacious assembly plant.

As I write this on Saturday morning, the weather is threatening rain. We plan to go to the Outlet Mall down the street for a couple of hours. This evening, a final blast to the Peach Festival will occur at the  local lake with a Mud Bog competition. If it doesn't rain, we'll go, but.....you see how it goes!

Other "campers" are leaving the Service area this morning, and we'll join them tomorrow for a short jaunt to Asheville, NC.

TTYL