Workforce
Auto Industry Employment Starts to Rock
Does the Great Recession still have a tight grip on the automo- tive industry? Preliminary numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show 815,000 people were employed in this industry in August 2013, a deficit of 40,000 from the 855,800 autoworkers on the books in August 2008. Yet while it’s true auto employment has not fully recovered from the plunge it took during the recent and severe downturn, the August 2013 figure (the most recent available) is a far more encouraging statement about the state of the nation’s auto industry than the 624,700 employees the in- dustry had in June 2009. In fact, the August 2013 number shows an increase in employment of 8400 compared with the previous month once recalls from plant changeover are accounted for. Te increase in employment is the result of car sales
rebounding to nearly prerecession levels. Total sales for 2013 are expected to be in the 15.5–16 million range. Demand is so great that some models are in short supply. Te Ford Fusion is one of them. Ford sold 161,146 Fusions in the first half of 2013 alone. Demand for the midsize sedan is why the automaker took on 1400 new hires and added a second shiſt at its Flat Rock (MI) Assembly Plant in August and serves as an example of how employment is growing in the wake of increasing sales. It also is an example of how workers are trained to deliver the quality and efficiency the market requires today.
Filling Up Flat Rock Flat Rock had been working one shiſt to assemble the Ford
Mustang and the Mazda6. Mazda, however, pulled out of the partnership in August 2012, leaving Ford with excess capacity in Flat Rock. Fortunately for the Dearborn, MI, automaker this happened as Fusion sales took off. Ford’s Hermosillo, Mexico, plant where the Fusion is built started straining to meet Fusion demand. Ford spent a year preparing to bring the Fusion to Flat
Rock. In addition to upgrading the plant’s machinery, Ford used a simulated factory to provide hands-on training for the new hires in a real-world environment. Te simulation allows workers to master the tasks they may be performing on the line. Some of the jobs are simple, like tightening nuts and bolts. Others are more complex, like connecting brake lines or fitting weather stripping. Previously, new hires moved directly from classroom training to the assembly line without ever tightening a bolt or connecting a brake line.
88 Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing
James D. Sawyer Yearbook Editor
“Te simulated factory provides workers with a much
smoother transition to the assembly line, and the net benefit to the company is improved quality,” said Aris Janitens, Ford's manager of launch planning and workforce readiness. “Tis process—initially developed at Louisville Assembly Plant—has been so successful, it is now considered our global standard and company-wide best practice, and will be rolled out to other plants worldwide.” Each activity is timed to give trainees a sense of how quick-
ly the assembly line moves and how quickly they are expected to perform their duties. When working on the line, each team member must perform his or her job within a specific amount of time to keep the line running smoothly.
Training at 10 Stations Te training accommodates 50 trainees in each eight-hour
session with a 5:1 trainee-to-instructor ratio. Workers train on 10 stations—one every 40 minutes—including electrical con- nectors, engine build-up, brake line and radiator hose install, and DC electric tools. Workers also receive one-on-one train- ing from hourly instructors, as well as instruction on safety procedures, tooling and operator instruction sheets. “Before simulated factory training, you could always tell
when it was someone’s first week on the line,” said Tim Young, Flat Rock plant manager. “Tey were a little unsteady and unsure of what they needed to do, and it usually resulted in having to stop the line multiple times that first week.” Young said the program is really paying off. “Now, our new
hires are able to jump right in on the line without causing any delays or quality issues, and do so in a safe manner.” Te hands-on training has also helped newly hired employ-
ees determine early on if their position is not a great fit. Of the more than 1000 employees trained, about 50 have decided to pursue other career options. “We have found employees truly appreciate a realistic job
preview. Some workers have realized through the training that they are not interested in working on an assembly line aſter all,” said Anna Gedman, Flat Rock human resources manager. “We want the most committed and capable workers helping to produce our vehicles, so learning this within the first week of training rather than three months down the road is beneficial for everyone involved.”
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