Sixth Form students studying Design and Technology were joined by some Upper Sixth who have applied to study Mechanical Engineering at University next year for a tour of the Mini plant in Cowley, Oxford to see how a new Mini is manufactured every 68 seconds. The Cowley plant was founded in 1913 and has been in constant production ever since, making it one of the oldest car plants in the world.
At A Level, students learn about many different material fabrication processes and how computer systems are used in industry to plan and control manufacturing, reduce waste and respond quickly to customer demand – visiting Mini brings all of this content to life. Our tour began with body-in-white; students were able to link the theory they had learnt about flexible-manufacturing systems as they saw pressed steel panels welded together with the help of 1200 robots. In the assembly hall, we were able to experience the slick final assembly line where this design icon comes together, as well as seeing concepts such as ‘just in time’ production, the use of sub-assemblies and production, planning and control systems in real life.