Ever since the Ford Model T was manufactured in an assembly line. The production and manufacture of automobiles has become very simple, and now the four major processes of automobile production, stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly. Except for the final assembly line, the mechanization rate can basically reach close to 100%. Then the person is mainly responsible for checking whether the product produced by the machine is defective. So the production process of the car does not need craftsmen at all, so what about the spirit of craftsmanship?
Photo note: Ford assembly line production line
But there are exceptions to this, such as ultra-luxury brands, Bentley, Rolls-Royce. So where are their craftsmen embodied? The first is the place of origin, which there is only one place of origin in the world. It is simply impossible to make it domestically. Secondly, production needs to be built by hand, why do we need to be manual? Because the models of these car brands are privately customized. It is necessary to design and develop according to the different needs of each customer. So there is no way to use the industrial way. So we can see that inside the Rolls-Royce car, the wood grain decoration is from the same tree, handmade. There's also Rolls-Royce's starlight ceiling, a process that requires fiber optic cues, threading them into leather and connecting them to the surrounding LED lights. This process is quite cumbersome and has to be done entirely by hand.
Picture note: Rolls-Royce ceiling
Including body color, because Rolls-Royce can provide users with thousands of colors of options, so it is impossible to use machinery to spray, must be manually sprayed. Therefore, in the whole production process of the car, Rolls-Royce has many process links, there is no way to use machinery, can only be built by hand. So you said that Rolls-Royce's cars are made by craftsmen and have the spirit of craftsmanship, which we have to admit.
Picture note: Rolls-Royce interior
Graphic note: F1 R&D engineer
The second is the research and development process of the car, which must also have the spirit of craftsmanship. Take the development of high-performance cars, F1 cars, or any other car. The aim is ultimate in lightweight, extreme in performance and extreme in aerodynamics. This requires engineers to constantly try and try to achieve an optimal model. Do you say that engineers have a craftsman spirit? I think there are too!
Note: Wind tunnel testing for automotive R&D
There is also the advent of the new energy era, automobile modularization, platform, engineers in the development of new cars, but also in the consideration of how to achieve the ultimate power saving, the ultimate endurance, safety under the premise of the ultimate lightweight. So they all have the spirit of craftsmanship.
Craftsman is a working attitude, not an abbreviation for a profession
The production of automobiles is the most unnecessary part of craftsmanship. It's no wonder we all know the smile curve theory. Research and development, design, parts development, marketing, after-sales service are all high profits, but production and processing is the lowest profit link. So production will definitely be replaced by more mechanization in the future.
In fact, the concept of craftsmanship is completely different from the past. In the past, in the era of agricultural civilization underdeveloped industrialization, ceramic processing, painting, embroidery, and carving could give birth to many craftsmen. But in the industrial age, these jobs have been replaced by machinery. So we can meet fewer and fewer craftsmen in our lives.
The so-called craftsman spirit has actually evolved into an attitude. A kind of attitude towards people and things, no matter what industry you are, what job position, as long as you work seriously and meticulously, then you are a craftsman.
Therefore, if the car brand talks about the spirit of craftsmanship, I think unless the ultra-luxury brand can achieve it, and the general car brand cannot reach it!