LaSorda says the Belvidere, Ill., assembly plant is the first in Chrysler Group to use a body shop that consists entirely of robotics and is free of vehicle-specific heavy tooling.

The new 780 robots supplied by ABB in Belvidere's body shop make necessary tool changes automatically, within a 45-second cycle time. That gives the 3.7 million-square-foot facility the flexibility to build three vehicles, including the new 2007 Dodge Caliber and the Jeep Compass. In addition, Chrysler says the same line can pilot build a fourth with no impact on production.

This new process allows the company to vary model-by-model production volume to better meet customers' preference and make the changeover to next-generation models simple and cost efficient. Projected volumes (determined by market research) can be varied up to 100%, says LaSorda. "The issue now becomes -- how flexible is the supply base? That's our next journey."