The Fiat Group's Melfi factory, which builds the key Grande Punto model range, has just become the carmaker's first plant in Italy to be awarded "Silver Level" certification for its adherence to World Class Manufacturing (WCM) standards.
The Fiat Group has adopted WCM, an international methodology for the organisation of the manufacturing cycle, to manage its plants in accordance with the best standards worldwide. The WCM improvement process is comprised of three intermediate levels – Bronze, Silver, Gold – and one, final, World Class Level.
The Fiat Group Automobiles plant in Melfi, in Southern Italy, which received Bronze level certification in 2007, is the first plant in Italy to receive Silver Level certification from the WCM audit Commission, chaired by Prof. Hajime Yamashina. The Melfi plant is home to Fiat Group Automobiles' biggest selling model, the Fiat Grande Punto, and now the sole production centre in Europe with a second line at Turin's Mirafiori plant being phased out. Emphasising the importance that Fiat attaches to Melfi, a week-and-a-half ago the Fiat Group, in a mid-term industrial production plan, confirmed that the mid-life facelift version of the current Grande Punto range (known at Punto EVO) which will be built at the plant alongside the current model. The current generation Grande Punto will be then repositioned as a lower-specification entry-level B-segment model once Punto EVO production gets underway.
"This important award is the result of the widespread and constant effort of our people in the rigorous application of WCM principles and methods, which resulted in improvements in logistics and quality and significant cost reductions," said Fiat in a press release. "This achievement rewards Fiat Group’s hard work in the last few years to make its manufacturing structure increasingly efficient and flexible, and gain a competitive edge over the best in class," the statement added.
Bron: Italiaspeed