GM Improves Advanced Vehicle Development Operations

Manufacturing News, Source : TheManufacturer.com
Published : 21 Jun 2002 21:03

After proving more efficient than Ford in the 2002 Harbour Report on manufacturing efficiency, GM has announced a new initiative to maintain that role by reducing advanced vehicle development (AVD) time through improving productivity, eliminating bureaucracy, and focusing its decision making process.

“This new approach is possible because the overall product development organization has continued to increase productivity and become more focused under the vehicle line executive (VLE) system,” explained Mark Hogan, GM group vice president of AVD, during a recent media briefing.

GM stands to receive many benefits from this new approach, including better production execution through increased upfront collaboration, the elimination of costs and non-value added work through strong leadership and accountability, increased competitiveness through reduced development times, and the reduction of unnecessary inputs/opinions.

“It’s our role to ensure the directions and desires of GM’s senior product leadership are being effectively and efficiently applied in creating and evaluating product programs. This means keeping a tight focus on workload, investment, and structural costs. In this intensely competitive environment, we cannot afford to expend scarce resources answering questions that the marketplace is not asking.” Hogan said.

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