XXX Customer Order

[sloGMC]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Take a look at this again, and compare the GA sequence with the VINs. Look at what the VINs for the various nameplates are doing:

A few questions, if you'll indulge...

For the purposes of the 67-72 build sheet, do you think block 1 "Job Sequence Number" is the GA sequence number, or block 24 "Sequence No."?
If block 1 isn't the GA number, is block 1 the PVI?
Is it safe to say that the VIN is created when the build sheet is created, and that is when the vehicle hits the "Trim/Final line"?
Do you think Block 10 "Scheduled Manufacturing Date" is more closely tied to the JSN (i.e., prior to build sheet creation/ final assembly), or the Seq No. (i.e., when a vehicle hits final assembly)?
What do you think a reasonable time was for complete production, from Body to out the door? Days or weeks?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by sloGMC

A few questions, if you'll indulge...

For the purposes of the 67-72 build sheet, do you think block 1 "Job Sequence Number" is the GA sequence number, or block 24 "Sequence No."?
If block 1 isn't the GA number, is block 1 the PVI?
Is it safe to say that the VIN is created when the build sheet is created, and that is when the vehicle hits the "Trim/Final line"?
Do you think Block 10 "Scheduled Manufacturing Date" is more closely tied to the JSN (i.e., prior to build sheet creation/ final assembly), or the Seq No. (i.e., when a vehicle hits final assembly)?
What do you think a reasonable time was for complete production, from Body to out the door? Days or weeks?

I'm happy to indulge; in fact, I enjoy it (so thank you for asking):

Re: Block 1 vs Block 24: Not sure I can say, since I'm not seeing a Block 1 in the above photos. I will say that the build sheets can vary from assembly plant to assembly plant, so what's true for Fremont might not be true for Flint, for example. Also - I'll mention that while the assembly sequence number keeps counting up one by one, all of the digits might not be recorded. So if you were watching, you might see it go 9998, 9999, 0000, 0001, etc. Similarly, the operators don't write the full sequence on the vehicle. My truck might have been 113,887 but they just wrote "87" on the hood/front end Sheetmetal.

Re: VIN created when vehicle hits Trim/Final: no. The VIN is established and build information published well before the build starts. The cadence might be something like:
a) Dealer or customer orders vehicle - sends order to Chevrolet Central Office.
b) A day or two after that - the vehicle order number is established and the final assembly location determined (based somewhat on geography, but also on option content).
c) A day to a week after that - the order number is received in the plant and the PVI is created.
d) A day or two after that - the PVI is rolled out to create the body shop sequence number which, for plants that build straight through, the General Assembly sequence number. VIN is established at this point.
e) Indeterminate time after that (days or weeks): the build information is broadcast to all downstream users, build manifest created and printed, build sheets created and printed, and physical build started in body shop. The SPID might be printed closer to when it is installed (after body drop on Final line) but based on the same broadcast data.

As far as length of time: It depends on line rate and number of productive shifts. Flint Line #1 (pickup) was building 60 jobs/hour, two shifts; 45 jobs/hour was a more typical rate. Flint Line #2 (Blazer/Suburban) was 36 jobs/hour.

When I followed my red truck down the line in Flint I picked it up coming out of paint into trim (VIN install) at 4:30 pm on Monday (start of 2nd shift). By midnight the truck was complete and I drove it to the shipping building and left the plant by 1am. Body build (cab welding and paint) starts a couple days before that.

K