Sponsored

How long does it take to actually build the Jeep JL on the assembly line?

NavyVet1959

Banned
Banned
First Name
OldFart
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Threads
7
Messages
1,250
Reaction score
1,192
Location
Texas, ya'll
Vehicle(s)
XJ (sold), WJ (sold), Ram 1500 QC 4x4 (sold 2018.06.07), Wrangler JL Sport 2-door (ordered 2018.06.08)
Occupation
Retired engineer (NASA, aerospace, DoD); ex-Navy
Vehicle Showcase
1
Time from order to delivery is always dependent on whether order volume currently exceeds production capacity. That is clearly the case right now. Even if the plant is humming at full capacity, dealers around the country are trying to stock up on a hit. By June we should be seeing order to plant release down to about two weeks, then another week or two for distribution. By then, though, inventory numbers should be large enough that what you want is already on a lot somewhere nearby.
I wish... Mine *finally* went from D1 to F (supposedly 2 days ago). Do they paint everything first and then start installing everything on it? Seems like that would be the most efficient since it wouldn't require them to mask off areas that they didn't want painted. If so, I guess that means I have a bare frame that has been painted and a VIN, nothing more. :)

It took 2 days for the change from D1 to F to be reflected in whatever system that JeepChat uses.
Sponsored

 

WXman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Threads
61
Messages
2,855
Reaction score
3,076
Location
Central Kentucky
Vehicle(s)
2018 Wrangler Unlimited
Occupation
Meteorology and Transportation
These were 2011 models. They're easy to pick out because they are the only JKs that had the modern interior with the old outdated drivetrain. Some people preferred them, because they had the fewest issues of any JK in the entire run, and you still had that nice comfy interior.
 

TIDALWAVE

Well-Known Member
First Name
CHUCK
Joined
Oct 21, 2017
Threads
86
Messages
798
Reaction score
433
Location
MINNESOTA
Vehicle(s)
2015 Mustang GT Convertible, 2013 CHEVY SILVERADO, 2018 JLUR
My Rubi took about six months to get the parts together atToledo and less than two 8 hour shifts to be assembled, and three weeks to be delivered.
 

NavyVet1959

Banned
Banned
First Name
OldFart
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Threads
7
Messages
1,250
Reaction score
1,192
Location
Texas, ya'll
Vehicle(s)
XJ (sold), WJ (sold), Ram 1500 QC 4x4 (sold 2018.06.07), Wrangler JL Sport 2-door (ordered 2018.06.08)
Occupation
Retired engineer (NASA, aerospace, DoD); ex-Navy
Vehicle Showcase
1
Just received an email from the my dealership's salesman saying that my Jeep has moved to "JS" status (shipped to storage), so it has been built and is waiting on a rail car to ship it. Wonders never cease... :)

So, went from D1 to F (paint) 2 days ago and to JS today... There were probably some other stages between that, but I don't know when it happened...
 

RussJeep1

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Threads
139
Messages
2,544
Reaction score
2,057
Location
Westchester, NY
Vehicle(s)
JLU Sahara
I read up to 600 per shift, 1200 per day in 2 shifts. Tha'ts 75 per hour in an 8 hour shift (maybe shifts are 10 hours?), so that works out to 1.25 per minute, or probably a Jeep roughly every 50 seconds. That's impressive!

They were at 150 per shift in early December, so I doubt they are up to full speed, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are at 250 or 300 per shift by now. Maybe up to 400? It would be interesting to know how fast the line is humming along now.

It is impressive Dan. But give me a big enough assembly line, I imagine I could pump out a Space Shuttle every 30 seconds--if you know what I'm saying.

It might take 7 months to build the first, but the second might come out 30 seconds later--if you catch my drift.;)

Speaking of Operations Research, if you want water to come out of a hose faster, research has shown that sticking my face in front of it greatly increases the speed.;)
 

Sponsored

RussJeep1

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Threads
139
Messages
2,544
Reaction score
2,057
Location
Westchester, NY
Vehicle(s)
JLU Sahara
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, the OP asked how long it takes FCA to assemble a Wrangler.

...entirely fair question.

Another one might be how long it takes to build a Wrangler, FCA notwithstanding: my point being that near countless aspects of the rig's build are turfed out to 3rd parties who deliver assembled parts to the factory for FCA to connect to other parts of the rig.

I'm not minimizing FCA's involvement. By no means does FCA merely "add water" to the metaphorical dry goods cake recipe made by others. The assembly is highly choreographed and intricate, not to mention securing and managing these vendors and inventory.

I make this point to simply appreciate how many worker hours and people are involved in the vehicle's production as a shout out to the specialists in everything from mufflers, to soft tops (Bestop) to headlights, and all in between. Imagine that number of people hours.
 

BillG

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
4,239
Location
Middle Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2018 Sting Gray JLUR / 15 Harley Tri glide / 50 Dodge Rat pickup
About three months ago, I was told by someone on the floor of the plant that they were averaging finishing 825-850 per day. The line was technically capable of doing 1150-1200.
Was also told that barring complications such as failed inspections or delays with accessories from outside vendors, the process averaged three days from gate line until ready to ship.
 
Last edited:

rkammer

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rich
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
218
Reaction score
372
Location
Freedom, PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Jeep Wangler JL Sport S 2 Door
Occupation
GIS Specialist
Vehicle Showcase
1
My jeep order went from D1 to KZ in 1 day on July 1st.
 

NavyVet1959

Banned
Banned
First Name
OldFart
Joined
Apr 11, 2018
Threads
7
Messages
1,250
Reaction score
1,192
Location
Texas, ya'll
Vehicle(s)
XJ (sold), WJ (sold), Ram 1500 QC 4x4 (sold 2018.06.07), Wrangler JL Sport 2-door (ordered 2018.06.08)
Occupation
Retired engineer (NASA, aerospace, DoD); ex-Navy
Vehicle Showcase
1
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, the OP asked how long it takes FCA to assemble a Wrangler.

...entirely fair question.

Another one might be how long it takes to build a Wrangler, FCA notwithstanding: my point being that near countless aspects of the rig's build are turfed out to 3rd parties who deliver assembled parts to the factory for FCA to connect to other parts of the rig.

I'm not minimizing FCA's involvement. By no means does FCA merely "add water" to the metaphorical dry goods cake recipe made by others. The assembly is highly choreographed and intricate, not to mention securing and managing these vendors and inventory.

I make this point to simply appreciate how many worker hours and people are involved in the vehicle's production as a shout out to the specialists in everything from mufflers, to soft tops (Bestop) to headlights, and all in between. Imagine that number of people hours.
If you really look at it from the standpoint of *everything* that has to be manufactured in order to get a Jeep shipped out, it's pretty impressive. Sure, Jeep is assembling parts that come from a lot of different manufacturers, but these manufacturers are also assembly their products from the products of even more manufacturers. The steel, aluminum, and glass that go into the vehicles has to be manufactured has to start out as aluminum or steel ore or scrap that gets smelted and added into the new steel or aluminum. The glass has to come from sand plus possibly recycled glass. The oil that goes into the engine starts out as petroleum that comes from the ground and is refined. The plastics also come from the petroleum in many cases. The copper for the copper wires must be smelted from copper ore. The manufacturer of the radio / entertainment system probably do not develop the electronic parts / chips in-house, but rather get them either custom or as off-the-shelf items from other manufacturers.

What we see in these manufacturing videos is just the final stage of the the manufacturing process -- where all the sub-units are brought together for final assembly. Each of these sub-units likely has an assembly line that is doing the same thing. And depending upon the sub-unit, maybe even more of the same thing feeding it the parts that are necessary to build that particular sub-sub-unit. It's a complicated and rather intricate logistics dance if you follow it back to the point of actual origin (e.g. iron ore, aluminum ore, sand, etc).
 

Matt The Hammer

Well-Known Member
First Name
Fake Name
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Threads
2
Messages
444
Reaction score
407
Location
Killadelphia
Vehicle(s)
JKUR and YJ
Occupation
Engineer
It's call a 'just in time' process. You can eliminate delays and storage of parts if done right. The 3rd party parts arrive just in time to be bolted to the rig. I think all car companies do this now.

This is a good thread of info. Thanks.
 

Sponsored

Ryp11

Active Member
First Name
Steve
Joined
Jul 28, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
38
Reaction score
8
Location
Maine
Vehicle(s)
2018 JL Sahara in ocean blue
About three months ago, I was told by someone on the floor of the plant that they were averaging finishing 825-850 per day. The line was technically capable of doing 1150-1200.
Was also told that barring complications such as failed inspections or delays with accessories from outside vendors, the process averaged three days from gate line until ready to ship.
Does anyone know if these numbers are still accurate or have they slowed to get ready for 2019? Thanks
 

BillG

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
2,067
Reaction score
4,239
Location
Middle Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
2018 Sting Gray JLUR / 15 Harley Tri glide / 50 Dodge Rat pickup
Does anyone know if these numbers are still accurate or have they slowed to get ready for 2019? Thanks
I have no idea. I have a feeling that fca put a muzzle on that individual because they went completely dark. Maybe someone knows someone in real life that will comment.
 

BVGeezer

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jack
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Threads
13
Messages
161
Reaction score
179
Location
Buena Vista, CO
Vehicle(s)
2023 JLU, 1982 FJ40
Occupation
Retired
Ours took two months and then it died in final inspection. Our dealer had to find a substitute.
 

Wanted33

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
597
Reaction score
818
Location
Down south in Dixie
Vehicle(s)
2019 Sting-Gray Sahara
Vehicle Showcase
1
Since the OP's question has been addressed, I'm gonna move the thread into another area. As I watched these videos I remembered the respect I have for those that do assembly/manufacturing jobs. These jobs while not strenuous are extremely tedious, and boring. In my second life before full retirement I worked in a manufacturing plant. I had to learn many of the jobs to be more effective in mine, and with many of the jobs I was bored to death. In today's plants like FCA the employees are taught all the jobs in their section, and are rotated at certain times to help with complacency, and reduce repetitive injuries. The folks that I worked with often told me they were payed a good wage not for doing the job itself, but to also put up with the boredom.

And, every time I see those monster robots I'm still amazed at the way they work. :)
 

Beretta67

Active Member
First Name
Shawn
Joined
Aug 3, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
33
Reaction score
29
Location
McKean Co. Pa.
Vehicle(s)
16 2D OM, 20 Mojave, 21 JLU, 22 Willys
I watched a video of the wrangler JK being assembled, the supervisor said they make 44 to 45 an hour with two 10 hour shifts. This works out to 880 to 900 per shift. I don’t recall if they worked a Saturday or Sunday shift.
I just placed my order (JLU Rubicon 3.6L with nearly every option available) on 8/2, I’ll be able to update all my info to this thread if anyone is interested.
Sponsored

 
 



Top