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                                                            Excursions.

 

Monthly excursions are generally held on the third Thursday of every month. Past excursions included visits to such places as: The Tram Museum; The Chinese Museum; Jayco Caravan Factory; Old Treasury Building; Immigration Museum; Hellenic Museum; to name but a few.

 

Planned excursions for 2025 - to be confirmed nearer the date

 

Tuesday 8 July – Christmas in July. Box Hill Golf Club.

       Kate Cross - 0418 130 499

Wednesday 20 August - Ten Pin Bowling, Mont Albert

       Ray King - 0416 014 646

Monday 1 September - Governmednt House Tour

       Glenn Ewing -  0408 733 066

Wednesday 22 October, The Round Theatre, Nunawading

      Anne Osmon -  0408 733 066

Wednesday 12 November – Johnston Collection, East Melbourne

       Anne Osmon - 0408 733 066

Tuesday 9 December -  Christmas Lunch, Canterbury International Hotel.

        Anne Osmon -  0408 733 066

 

 

KENWORTH TRUCK FACTORY - Bayswater - Richard Lawrence

In June, two separate groups of our members visited the Kenworth factory in Canterbury road Bayswater.

Wow, we were warmly welcomed with our names presented on the front desk.  Cameron our guide was brilliant and very informative.  The factory produces about 15 to 20 DAF and Kenworth trucks each day depending on demand and it takes about 3 days for each truck from start with some metal beams to a finished truck driven from the premises.  Trucks are uniquely assembled to specific customer order using a 'just in time' approach.  This method means that as the chassis moves down the assembly line, boxes of components for the specific truck are delivered to the specific station.  Staff work in two shifts over 50 minute cycles with a 10 minute break each hour plus a lunch hour.   They all have breaks and meals at the same time and can choose to go to the canteen to eat or place a lunch order and have the meal delivered to the rest area.  15:30 was knock off time, the line stopped, and the workers rushed home, the afternoon shift starts at 16:00

to midnight.  There is also a massive administrative team that manages sales and places the orders for components from over 100 suppliers and coordinates the 'just in time' deliveries. 

Very impressive was how the individual assembly lines merge to form a completed truck.   

  • The first is where the steel rails are assembled into an inverted chassis, the basis for the truck.   

  • Then on a moving line, all the underside components are assembled while the chassis is upside down - because it's easier that way.   Then we saw the chassis rotate so it was up the correct way and then more components are assembles as it moves down the line - about 15 minutes at each station is all it takes for the workers to add the components and this includes the painting station.   The most noticeable variations at this time are the number of axels the truck has, the type of suspension and the types of brakes fitted.

  • An adjacent line has assembled the engine and gear box components with alternators and other bolt on stuff.  There are about 3 different engine types available for different purposes depending on the order.   This is where the first two lines meet up and the exact engine assembly lines up and is fitted to the exact chassis, very well coordinated. 

    • Separate lines use robots to assemble the body up to painting and interior seats, glass etc.  Another line creates the dashboard with all of the instruments.  There are three different

    • main body types each with options, but the just in time system makes sure the exact components meet the exact body at the same time.

    • The chassis is moved the adjacent final line, where components like tyres and hundreds of other bits including the body, bonnet, exhausts etc are added using the synchronised just in time system.

    • Finally, the truck moves into an exhaust tent thing, where the engine is started and tested before being driven to the delivery bay for the dealer to collect it.

Overall, recommended for a visit the next time we can arrange it.  Groups are limited to 6 people and we walk through the assembly areas and use steps to go to viewing platforms, a very different experience to my days in office work.

Photosd: Chris Summers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GULF STATION - YARRA GLEN  - Glenn Ewing

On a sunny day on the first day of May eleven members headed to the beautiful Yarra Valley and the Gulf Station Historic Farm. This National Trust property is one of the oldest and most intact examples of a pioneer farm complex in Australia. We split into two groups and enjoyed a guided tour of the homestead, outbuidings and hertitage garden which certainly took us back to how life was in the 1880's. It was a fascinating insight into times gone by.

Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the nearby Yarra Valley Grand Hotel.

Photos Courtesdy Glenn Ewing