WAP saves Chrysler millions: VP
Employee ideas help to improve processes
The Windsor Assembly Plant has saved Chrysler Group $45.8 million so far this year by introducing Fiat’s world-class manufacturing processes and soliciting ideas from employees, says a senior company executive.
The changes have also reduced workplace injuries by 60 per cent, trips for first aid treatment by 30 per cent and warranty incidences by 18 per cent.
“World-class manufacturing is essentially about eliminating waste, eliminating any process that is not value-added and making sure that your workers are fully engaged in their jobs,” said Scott Garberding, Chrysler’s senior vice-president of world-class manufacturing.
“These processes and employee engagement are an essential element of building the best vehicles on the world,” Garberding told the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association conference at Caesars Windsor on Thursday.
Two years ago, Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy protection with Fiat SpA as its new partner, and since that time, the company has launched 19 new or significantly refreshed vehicles.
Two of these -the Chrysler Town and Country, and Dodge Grand Caravan -are built at WAP, which opened in 1928 and is the oldest operating Chrysler plant in the company’s portfolio.
“The assembly plant here is a perfect example of what we’ve been able to achieve by eliminating waste, eliminating unclean work stations, improving ergonomic practices so our employees spend less time off the job, and eliminating welding sparks which create waste,” said Garberding.
He said the plant, which was the birthplace of the minivan segment in 1983, is a perfect example of “working smarter, not harder.”
Workers at the plant have also designed and built socalled lineside limos, which are parts carriers that are attached to the assembly line and move with it along the shop floor, thus eliminating walking time by workers needing to retrieve parts. The carriers are loaded in a parts area, towed to the line and then attached to create easy access to parts.
“In the past, a portion of our assembly line was on the plant’s second floor, which created many inefficiencies in moving parts up and down in elevators,” said Garberding. “By applying (world-class manufacturing) practices, we’ve been able to compress the line, and now the entire assembly process takes place on one floor.”
Garberding said all of these changes have resulted in a 76-per-cent reduction in nonvalue-added time and practices.
“More importantly, it has allowed us to beat our savings goal by $5.8 million,” he said.
Soliciting suggestions from employees about how to improve processes has resulted in 230,00 suggestions being submitted across the company.
In addition to its new vehicle offerings, Chrysler has also introduced the Pentastar V-6 engine, which has made Ward’s Automotive’s list of top 10 engines, and a 1.4-litre, fourcylinder Fiat multiair engine, which made Popular Science’s list of top 10 technological advances.
“We had a net profit of $116 million in the first quarter. We have paid back our U.S. and Canadian government loans. Monthly sales in Canada were up 17 per cent in May compared to last May, and we couldn’t have done it without our Canadian supply chain,” said Garberding.
http://www.autoremarketing.com
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