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Saturn was begun after General Motors sent out a group of 99 GM and United Auto Workers employees, chartered with researching the best processes and ideas for making cars. The result was that to make a better car, they needed a different approach to everything. It's not just a car, it's a philosophy. The researchers discovered new materials and manufacturing techniques, but also studied ways of getting the most out of employees and keeping them happy. Their key findings were that workers organized into teams, responsible for quality and given variety by job rotation (not just within their team, but throughout the company--including leading tour groups through the factory) was the most successful strategy for running a manufacturing business. Their innovative marketing and no-pressure sales have also added to their success as one of the newest American car brands and lost of satisfied, loyal customers. The tour of the assembly plant, opened in 1985, was interesting and fun, and we got to keep our Saturn safety goggles! |
After
nearly losing a minivan we were towing behind the LV on a trailer,
we bought a Saturn--one of the lightest cars available. We've been
glad we did during the full year of travels we made around the country,
pulling our white Saturn wagon with the Learning Family logo in the
sides (the photo here is not our car).|
"The Saturn visitor center is in a building that was once a
barn. |
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Amanda learned that the factory produces 977 cars every day! "When we were touring the factory, we saw a lot workers, smiling and waving at us. It looked very busy, with car parts, and even whole cars, going around and above us everywhere." |
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"Many people love the Saturn cars because they work really well. If somebody leaves their shopping cart, and it starts rolling, the door of a Saturn won't get dented like most other cars, because it is plastic." -- Amanda |
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"They make a foam model, cover it up with sand, then pour hot, liquid metal in it. The metal replaces the foam as it melts it away. This is how they make the engine block for the Saturn cars."--Harrison |
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Nashville Parthenon Originally built as a temporary structure for the 1897 Centennial Exposition, the Nashville Parthenon is the only full-size reconstruction of the Parthenon in the world. (It was rebuilt of cement in 1931.) Amanda drew a picture of Nike, the Goddess of Victory, standing on Athena's right hand. "It is said that Nike puts the Golden crown on Athena's head when Athena fights for Athens. Athena is holding Nike up almost like she's saying, 'pay attention to Nike, too, because she helped me.'"
Tennessee is full of surprises! Another great civilization is represented in modern architecture in the namesake city of Egypt's once great seat of royalty. |
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"There was a game that everybody that wanted to could try. It was throwing a tomahawk at a target. On my sixth try, I hit the target. It was fun and I surprised myself. I noticed that a lot of other kids swung it at an angle like a baseball bat and missed every time. Dad got the target on his third try!"--Harrison |
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Tennessee
Travel Page on Excite!
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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