Volvo Truck Corportion

ABOUT CASE
• VTC Is vertically integrated multinational org.
• Full range commercial vehicles from cars to
trucks and buses .
• Engine plant at skovde (sweden)
Three distinct production enviroment
• Process
• Manufacturing
• Assembly
 Process environment
• Foundry area , which is a capital – intensive
single-flow process implementing a JIT system.
• Maintenance workers highly mobile
• Teams are linked to distinct process areas-
melting , forming, cleaning ,core making , heat
treatment
• 50 employees with one supervisor with total
responsibility (semi-autonomous)
• No team leader & no quality circle
• Only some job rotation
 Manufacturing environment
• Automated production in a multi-machine set up
• Finished shafts & casings are transferred from the
foundry to either the D factory where they are
machined into crankshafts ,transmission covers, &
camshafts, or to the a factory where they are
machined into cylinder heads & cylinder blocks.
 In both the plants
• Teams are organized around specific
production lines
• Payment is linked to linked to the achievement
of competences
• Providing more cost effective production
environment
 Continud …
• Operators are released to performed indirect
task associated with material supply ,qul.
House keeping , and task allocation with in
teams.
• Operators are responsible for some control
programming function (quality , machine set
up & retooling )
• Team ,Make it own “Continuous improvement
• Teams rather managers, which are responsible
for solving quality problems .
 Assembly

• Automated elements production

• Engines go into one of the 12 docks in which
the customized elements are added manually .
• Manual loading & unloading(start and end of
the process )
• Use roller system ( record information every
time an operation carried out .
 Cotinued ..
• Umea plant situated in northern sewden
• Which cut , presses, assembles and paints to delivered to
assembly plants in sweden, belgium and scotland .
• Production combination of flow line & dock tech.
• There are two operators per station with a floating ninth
person who also acts as teams leader and an operator
replacement as and when requaired.
• Team leader are not rotated
• Operate as a blue-collar worker & reduce supervisors
• Deciding get rid of people & juggling labour shortages .
 Observes by manager
• ‘We cannot expect a guy to be a craftsman
when he is doing the same job 15 or 20 times
a day . If you expand the expand the work it
will give value.
• I am not talking about doing the usual work
for two hours instead of 30min ,
• I am talking of adding more complicated work
outside the usual work by expanding frontiers’
In your view, is it right to appoint a
team leader like it is done at VTC’s
umea plant? Is the concept of a
floating ninth person suitable in a
facility?
In which department of the skovde
plant do you find approach to job
design the best ?
 Why does vtc have different sets of
responsibilities for operators in the
process, manufacturing , and assembly
departments of its skovde plant ?