Automotive special report - Body building - The automotive body shop is facing challenges of reduced volume, a proliferation of new materials and an increase in derivatives that all add up to a need for greater flexibility

The automative body shop is facing challenges of reduced volume, a proliferation of new materials and an increase in derivatives that all add up to a need for greater flexibility. Reducing the cost of die programme is a key strategy of the policy that Chrysler has adopted while Ford opted to establish a new body shop using old components. Global challenges are faced by Renault with process standardisation. In body shop, body-in-white manufacture does not always adhere to sequencing, as most of the sequencing work will be lost by the batch demands of the paint shop. The demands of the market has driven the OEMs to have a flexible body shop, which becomes more effective if they have an integrated strategy