- Adds 15,000 square feet of interactive training for manufacturing employees
- More than 9,000 participants trained since grand opening in 2012
- Now teaching 45 different hands-on classes; originally started with four classes
April 28, 2014 , Warren, Mich. - After officially opening more than two years ago, the final touches on a significant expansion in both square-footage and educational programming at Chrysler Group’s World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Academy were completed early this year. With an original footprint of 25,000 square feet, the WCM Academy now occupies approximately 40,000 square feet, including the addition or redesign of six hands-on learning stations and two new classrooms.
More than 9,000 employees have participated in collaborative classes at the Academy since its launch in 2012. Starting with just four classes at the grand opening in 2012, the Academy now teaches 45 different classes.
“The WCM Academy has become a critical resource in furthering our employees’ understanding of the WCM methodology,” said Marcel Breault, Head of World Class Manufacturing, Chrysler Group LLC. “The more people we can train and the more classes we can offer, the faster we are able to accelerate the pace of change across our North American facilities and continue to deliver measurable results in all of our operations.”
With 10 pillars representing the 10 technical pillars of WCM adorning the outside of the building, the WCM Academy, housed at the UAW-Chrysler Technology Training Center, is a place where employees throughout Chrysler Group’s manufacturing operations can come to learn the WCM methodology, use the WCM tools and collaborate to find the best solutions to issues within their facilities.
First implemented by Fiat in 2006 and introduced to Chrysler Group as part of the alliance between the two companies in June 2009, WCM is a methodology that focuses on reducing waste, increasing productivity, and improving quality and safety in a systematic and organized way. It engages the workforce to provide and implement suggestions on how to improve their jobs and their plants, and has become the motivator behind the improvements in all of Chrysler Group’s manufacturing plants. Already in 2014, two facilities have been recognized for their achievements in implementing WCM. The Windsor Assembly Plant (Ont.) earned a WCM silver award and the Trenton Engine Complex (Mich.) received bronze status, joining three other bronze facilities – Toledo Assembly Complex (Ohio), Dundee Engine (Mich.) and Saltillo Truck Assembly (Mex.).