The Economic Part of Automotive Car Bumpers - Essay Example

THE ECONOMIC PART OF AUTOMOTIVE CAR BUMPERS INTRODUCTION In this modern era, vehicles have become a necessity rather than a luxury. The development of cars has had an enormous effect on people’s way of life throughout the world. The proliferation of cars has also meant more accidents. Each year so many people die as a result of motor vehicle accidents. So great care is taken in providing protection measures for the occupants of cars. Car manufacturers must meet stringent government standards designed to protect drivers and passengers of the cars. These include installation of automatic seat belts or airbags, head restraints, antilock brakes and bumper systems. WHAT ARE BUMPERS? Bumpers are parts which are mounted on the front and rear ends of the vehicle. They are designed to absorb and deliver the momentum when a vehicle meets with an accident. Thus they protect not only the occupants but also the vehicle itself. Bumpers are built with crumple zones which enable the specific bumper part to flex during collisions. In low impact collisions, the bumpers protect the hood, trunk, grille, fuel, exhaust and cooling system plus those safety related gadgets like parking lights, headlamps and tail lights. Besides providing protection, bumpers also enhance the aesthetic quality of the car. HISTORY OF CAR BUMPERS Early bumpers which were little more than a strap or flat iron were added to vehicles since at least the 1920s to provide additional protection. Later they were replaced by chromed bumpers in the 1960s. In the 1970s, self repairing bumpers were introduced and heavy steel was the preferred material. Generally speaking, todays bumpers are made with a reinforcement bar of steel, aluminum, fiberglass composite or plastic with a plastic cover. The system includes crash absorbing mechanisms that compress on impact, such as polypropylene foam or plastic honeycomb. The most effective bumpers are positioned with distance between the reinforcement bar and the vehicles sheet metal. SAFETY STANDARDS REGARDING CAR BUMPERS The US government developed safety standards to ensure the reliability of automotive bumpers in the early 1970s.The first standard prohibited damage to bumpers in low-speed, 5-mph crashes. Bumper laws had been relaxed in 1982, reducing the reliability of bumpers in newer cars. .Tests show that collisions at speeds as slow as six miles per hour (the equivalent of a 10 minute mile for joggers) may cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. In many places, bumpers are legally required on all vehicles for safety reasons. The height and placement of bumpers may be legally specified as well, to ensure that when vehicles of different heights are involved in an accident that the smaller vehicle will not slide under the larger vehicle, particularly in collisions with trailer trucks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumper ECONOMICS BEHIND CAR BUMPERS There is keen competition among automakers to improve fuel efficiency, safety and cost performance of vehicles. Each company vies with other to increase quality at premium value while at the same time reducing operating costs. Toyota company has an aggressive program called CCC21 (Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st century) to cut costs by 30% over 5 years. Many of the components of the car, including bumpers are not manufactured by the company themselves .This work is outsourced to other suppliers. India, China, Korea, Brazil, Thailand are some of the countries preferred for their low wages and quality output. Visteon and Delphi, the worlds largest component manufacturers which supply Ford and General Motors ,Toyota ,Hyundai are some of the companies going for sourcing. Ford, Volvo and GM, have also set up purchasing offices to find the lowest-cost suppliers of car components. Indias auto-parts manufacturers churned out goods worth $5.1bn last year - 15 per cent by value was exported, mostly to the US and Europe. http://www.embassyofindiajakarta.org/content.php?sid=140 Auto body parts can be classified into four groups: (1) Exposed parts like roof, front fender, side panel outer, door outer, etc. (2) Unexposed parts like floor, door inner, dash panel, etc. (3) Reinforcement or structural parts like bumpers. (4) Underbody parts like suspension arm . To implement their specified function optimally, each part requires materials with different property and characteristic. Bumpers should be made of material that can absorb crash energy to ensure passenger safety. Global procurement by automakers is exerting stronger competition pressures among component manufacturers leading to concerted efforts to find better, more durable, more cost efficient materials. Inter-firm cooperation is also operating to reduce costs without compromising on quality. Most new bumpers make use of plastic. One of the major problems facing the world is the growing amount of waste material, especially like plastic which is of complex structure and does not decompose naturally. Every year, around 2.5 million plastic bumpers are replaced following damage by collision and all these end up as waste. A remedy to this is to use recycled plastic bumpers instead of a brand new one. This will not only reduce waste but also reduce the use of petroleum based resins that are used for molding a new bumper. Until recently the recycled bumpers were of inferior quality forcing customers to buy new replacements .But technological advances in recycling process have led to manufacture of premium quality recycled bumpers. Besides the environmental benefits, the economic benefits are also significant. It is estimated that auto insurance policy holders pay 400 million dollars each year for plastic bumper replacements. Using recycled plastic bumpers would save 140 million dollars a year! http://www.keystone-auto.com/bodyshops/bumpers.html A June 1999 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that some popular Sport Utility Vehicle bumpers incurred expensive damage in very low impact collisions. Vehicles including Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mitsubishi Montero, and Mercedes cost between 3000 and 6000 dollars to repair in spite of collisions at walking speeds. This is because unlike passenger car bumpers, Sport Utility Vehicle bumpers are not subject to federal regulations regarding safety in low speed collisions. http://www.suv.org/economic.html#N_5_ EMERGING TRENDS IN CAR BUMPERS This is the nano age and nanotechnology is being applied in a big way to all walks of life including automobiles. Using nano-materials, lighter, stronger, more corrosion-resistant composites are being developed which can reduce the weight of vehicles, improve safety and extend their life. Down the road, we can expect car bumpers made of smart materials that heal themselves and reduce impact related injuries. A plastic nano-composite is being used for "step assists" in the GM Safari and Astro Vans. It is scratch-resistant, light-weight, and rust-proof, and generates improvements in strength and reductions in weight, which lead to fuel savings and increased longevity. And in 2001, Toyota started using nano-composites in a bumper that makes it 60% lighter and twice as resistant to denting and scratching. http://www.gonano.psu.edu/research/transportation.asp CONCLUSION The motor vehicle and parts manufacturing industry is being increasingly integrated into the international economy. In fact, “domestic” vehicles often are produced using the components, manufacturing plants, and distribution methods of other nations around the world. Collaborative ventures in manufacturing practices has dramatically increased productivity and improved efficiency. Globalization of the industry has increased competition leading to innovations in product design and in the manufacturing processes,the former assembly line method giving way to robots and other technological innovations.In this context, the manufacture of car bumpers is economically viable. Aesthetically and from the view of safety, bumpers are an integral accessory of an automobile. Surely the nanobumpers being developed will only add to the cost-economics of car bumpers. *** SOURCES 1. http://www.suv.org/economic.html 2. http://www.keystone-auto.com/corporation/history.html 3. http://www.carpartswholesale.com/cpw/bumpers.html 4. http://www.speedlimit.org.uk/trends.html 5.http://www.bptrends.com/publicationfiles/07%2D05%20%20ART%20Service%20Process%20%2DTen%20Lessons%20from%20Japan%20%2D%20Kannan%2Epdf 6. http://www.automedia.com/Bumping/Into/Safety/ccr20040701bs/1 You won’t expect a world-renowned painter, especially one who has made a great number of famous and high quality paintings, to get wrong on what he does best, not even on the smallest detail. Similarly, you won’t expect a world-renowned auto manufacturer like Ford, who has been in the business for over a century now, to make mistakes in the design and the manufacture of their vehicles; not even in the least noticeable parts of the vehicles they produce. Gladly, Ford does not fail us in our expectations, as every Ford vehicle that runs out of their assembly line has shown excellent quality and commendable performance. Ford takes the quality and performance of their designs to the detail, as can be seen in Ford bumpers. While just a small part of every Ford vehicle, the manufacture of Ford bumpers is surely given proper attention, as can be seen in its quality. And with just one look at a Ford car, you’ll easily notice that the Ford bumpers were designed and crafted in such a way that they will complement with the over-all style of the vehicle, creating a unified and elegant over-all appearance. But more than just styling accessories, Ford bumpers play an important part in making Ford vehicles safer to ride into. Bumpers were specifically designed to absorb as much shock as possible during low-speed and minor collisions, keeping the vehicle and its passenger safe from additional harm and damages. For this purpose, vehicles are usually equipped with two bumpers: a front bumper for front-end collisions, and a rear bumper for rear-enders. This is aside from the step bumpers and other types of bumpers that may be installed in vehicles as accessories or as special features. Vehicles were once equipped with heavy steel bumpers to provide maximum resistance against impacts. However, most of today’s vehicles, including Ford vehicles, are being equipped with rubber, plastic, or light metal bumpers, making them vulnerable to damages in the event of collisions. Rest assured though, these new bumpers can still absorb as much shock energy during collisions as most of them are equipped with hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders that permits them to move when hit. the Chevrolet bumpers, both front and rear. The bumpers were designed to absorb as much shock energy as they can during low-speed and low-impact collisions, preventing more harm and damages from happening to you, to your passengers, and to your car. The vehicle bumpers play a very important role for passenger safety, that’s why the manufacture of bumpers is given as much attention as the manufacture of other safety features of your Chevy. Bumpers are often subjected to crash-worthiness tests, along with the other body panel parts of the car. To withstand these tests, manufacturers used to equip their vehicles with bumpers made from heavy metals. Many of today’s vehicles, however, are no longer equipped with bumpers made from the same material. Rather, most vehicle bumpers today are made from rubber, plastic, light metals, and other resilient materials. Nonetheless, they are still expected to absorb as much shock energy during minor collisions.Made from resilient materials, expect that the bumpers of your vehicle will get damaged easily; and if you are not careful, you’ve got no choice but to replace them often. You won’t have to worry though as there exist today a lot of online resources where you can locate Chevy bumpers easily. One thing’s sure though, that there is no better way to save yourself from replacing your Chevrolet bumpers often than by avoiding collisions. Just as the people in Chevrolet say, “Safety Matters.” Read More