Situation
A major North American auto manufacturer was in the process of onboarding over fourteen hundred new employees at one of their transmission manufacturing facilities. As part of a weeklong new employee orientation, they wanted all onboarded employees to physically practice some key work activities. Their goal was to develop employee safety awareness, physical skills, fine motor skills, and attention to quality.
Instilling a keen safety awareness, understanding of physical tasks, and allowing actual practice of physical tasks.
Challenge
The plant was going to be bringing in fourteen hundred people from many other facilities within the company. Some of these people would have very little knowledge of the transmission build process, key safety concerns, and specific process tasks. Plant leadership wanted these people to have a deep appreciation for safety, the complexity of a transmission, physical skills required to complete tasks, and how their individual actions could affect product quality.
Solution
GP Strategies has a long-standing relationship with this OEM, providing support in many areas. We worked with the local team to develop a one-day work simulation workshop. During this workshop, a group of ten to fifteen new hires learn about the product, approximately ten tasks that are widely executed during the manufacturing processes, and the impact on the overall quality of a vehicle.
Using a combination of ten percent classroom lecture and exercises, and ninety percent hands-on work, the students learn key safety concerns and specific process tasks. During the hands-on portion, using forty-five-minute workstation rotations, they learn about and practice tasks such as:
- Use of electric, torque controlled nutrunner
- Use of lift assist device
- Proper assembly of electrical connectors
- Installing fasteners in a “blind” working situation
- Assembly of a unit that requires fine motor skills (valve body)
After a brief opening presentation, the group moves to a work simulation lab. The lab is equipped with workbenches or simulation stations. Each station has the actual production tools required to perform a specific task, along with a scripted process that is followed. A trained facilitator guides each participant through the process and assures that they safely and correctly complete the task within a structured time frame. Progress for each participant is tracked on a large task readiness whiteboard chart hanging on the wall.
Results
We are now in our fifth year of successfully providing this support for the manufacturing organization. Based on changing demands, our team has updated the work simulation workshop activities to cover multiple manufacturing facilities, including assembly and powertrain.
Newly onboarded employees:
- Learn safety requirements for each task
- Develop specific skills required to perform their job function
- Attain elevated awareness of quality issues and build factors
- Gain confidence performing a task within allotted time
- Achieve improved employee satisfaction and engagement
