Chrysler ‘academy’ teaches core values to employees

Chrysler Group doesn’t leave employee productivity, improving quality and safety or reducing manufacturing waste to chance. The rebounding automaker sends employees to school to learn how to master the three principles of what Chrysler calls World Class Manufacturing (WCM).

In its first year of operation, Chrysler’s WCM Academy trained 3,400 employees from North American plants in what it calls “WCM know-how.” Employees learn in both traditional classrooms and labs that emphasize hands-on, problem-solving exercises.

Michigan-based Chrysler’s employees, one exec has noted, understand that the company’s success depends on its use of the WCM principles. The company reports “measureable benefits” from the changes the academy’s graduates have made when they returned to their jobs.

Adopted from Fiat, which bought out Chrysler Group in 2009, the systematic WCM process engages employees as the driving force behind manufacturing improvements.

Contact: Valerie Oehmke of Chrysler, (248) 512-0497.