Lincoln LS: Built to World Class Standards

The Lincoln LS is manufactured in the same assembly plant in Wixom, Michigan

that has been the home of 2000 Lincoln automobiles since the 1958 model year.

Lincoln Occupying 47 million square feet of floor space LS on a 35-acre site 30

miles northwest of Detroit, Click the Wixom Assembly Plant is one of the

largest for more vehicle assembly facilities in the world. New images.

facilities were constructed at Wixom to support the LS program with the most

modern manufacturing processes.

Building LS to the highest quality goals in Lincoln

history was a top priority for the LS program. To meet

these goals, countless design details and manufacturing

practices are new and different. For example, a single

piece body-side outer panel was chosen to assure that

door fits and panel gaps are consistent. This in turn

minimizes wind noise, improves appearance, and helps

achieve structural rigidity goals that insure that the

body remains tight and rattle-free throughout its useful

life.

Body framing is a highly automated process which relieves

workers of tedious labor and to assure quality control.

Approximately 150 robots are used to precisely weld

individual panels together in a series of framing

fixtures. At the end of the underbody and framing lines

laser cameras inspect fifty critical points to assure

that the body manufacturing processes stay within precise

engineering standards.

Extensive use of aluminum panels (hood, front fenders,

deck lid) and an unusual hood and grille design

necessitate innovative material handling and cutting at

Wixom. Inner and outer hood panels are hemmed and welded

together in the plant for tight control over critical

dimensions. LS's signature "waterfall" grille and

aluminum hood offer an example of the precision of the

car's design and assembly: after the inner and outer hood

panels are joined, a special laser cutting creates a

precisely accurate aperture with no distortion of the

surrounding surfaces.

Wixom uses a computer-controlled in-line vehicle

sequencing build system (ILVS) utilizing pre-assembled

modules that arrive at the plant "just in time" as

complete sub-assemblies ready for installation.

The body paint process gives LS a glossy "wet look"

finish. High solid content base coats give the final

finish a lustrous depth and clarity. After the first

urethane clear coat, each car is wet sanded to level the

finish and enhance the gloss level, then a final clear

coat is applied.

A transportable four-post road simulator is used to check

for rattles at various temperatures and over different

computer-controlled road surfaces. To check ongoing build

quality, a vehicle fresh from the assembly line can be

driven into this huge device and be thoroughly evaluated

in a matter of minutes. This facility is capable of

temperatures ranging between &endash;20 and 120-degrees

Fahrenheit. A special room for interior and exterior

color control at Wixom can be used to make sure that

interior upholstery, trim material, and exterior fascia

assemblies match rigorous design standards.

As a further sign of Lincoln's commitment to the quality

of LS, senior Ford executives have been assigned as

"champions" to key suppliers to make sure that corporate

engineering standards are continuously being met, and

that production tools can run at the full rate and still

deliver the desired level of quality.

With all these modern systems in place at Wixom, LS

vehicle operations manager Mark Grassnig believes, "The

Lincoln LS should be the highest quality launch in our

history."