Chrysler has opened its new World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Academy in Warren, Michigan.
It occupies about 25,000 sq ft of the UAW-Chrysler Technology Training Center and its mission, the automaker said, “is to transfer WCM ‘know-how’ to over 1,200 participants each year and cultivate an enriched culture of continuous improvement and learning.” Another 1,300 will visit the academy for tours and meetings.
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“When Chrysler was developing its survival plan in partnership with Fiat in 2009, one of the key elements of turning the company around was the implementation of world class manufacturing,” said Chrysler manufacturing chief Scott Garberding. “Now, after two and a half years, our group manufacturing facilities are some of the most productive and efficient in the industry.”
WCM is a methodology that Fiat began developing, implementing and refining in 2005 with the purpose of reducing waste, increasing productivity and restoring dignity to the employees. As a result of the collaboration with Fiat and the sharing of knowledge, WCM has become the driving force behind the improvements in all of Chrysler’s manufacturing plants.
“The WCM Academy is a place where employees throughout Chrysler Group’s manufacturing operations can come to learn the WCM methodology and using the WCM tools, collaborate to find the best solutions to issues within their facilities,” the automaker said.
Course material is created internally with input from the plants and based on specific needs to increase levels of competence in a defined area. Hands-on games and activities create competition and help take the mystery out of WCM. To deliver the course material, trainers were selected from within the company who have hands-on, practical experience achieving WCM results in their facility.
“Unlike the classic concept of training, training for WCM has to be focused on addressing specific needs within the manufacturing facilities,” said Chrysler. “No longer will a ‘cookie cutter’ approach drive continuous improvement.”
