Truck, bus, & construction equipment manufacturer
Cost of quality reduced from $40,000 to $0 with customized online training
“Since we coupled Tooling U-SME online courses with hands-on training, we’ve eliminated over $40,000 worth of scrap due to lack of knowledge.”
- Manager, People Development
Challenge
- Employee advancement was based exclusively on seniority, not merit
- Training was too dependent on tribal knowledge, not standardized instruction
- Training program lacked documented best practices and key performance indicators
- High cost of quality due to lack of knowledge with new technologies and procedures
- Recently acquired, company needed to transition from informal on-the-job training to measurable and standardized training practices and expectations
Solution
- Tooling U-SME created an incentive-based online and hands-on program to train employees for advancement in current positions and prequalification for specific job roles in advanced areas
- With buy-in from the union and plant management, Tooling U-SME built a comprehensive training program from the ground up
- Implemented well-defined career development paths for Assembly, Maintenance, Machining, and Quality positions
Results
- Saved more than $40,000 in scrap in the first year
- Increased employee satisfaction and morale with voluntary, incentive-based program
- Onboarding time of trained technicians decreased from between six and nine months to just one month
- Program still yielding positive results in its fifth year