Chrysler Group most improved automaker

Chrysler Group improved overall manufacturing productivity by 7.8 percent in 2003, earning it top honors as the most improved automaker for the second year in a row in the annual Harbour Report North America 2004, conducted by Troy, Mich.-based Harbour Consulting. The cumulative two-year improvement of 16 percent pushed Chrysler ahead of Ford as the most productive North American automaker for the first time since the annual ranking was first published in 1989.

"The Harbour Report highlights the efforts every automaker in North America is making in the areas of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and other manufacturing activities that drive down costs and drive up quality and productivity," says Ron Harbour, president of Harbour Consulting. "Manufacturers that are using disciplined, common processes to drive consistent, sustainable improvement are seeing the most progress in the report's measures."

The report assesses performance of North American automakers in assembly, stamping, and powertrain productivity improvement on a plant-by-plant, company-by-company basis. The report's measurements are based on hours per vehicle (employee hours worked/vehicles produced).

All six North American automakers improved in assembly, stamping, and powertrain operations, including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota, as did NUMMI, the joint venture between GM and Toyota. In addition to assembly, stamping, and powertrain productivity improvements, the report also tracks quality, safety, cost, sourcing, capacity utilization, profit per vehicle, major causes for profit variation, and delivery performance.