09/15/2008 15h18
Makers to give priority to productivity
Folha de S. Paulo - 09/15/2008
In the last few years, pushed by demand, the car industry grew at a fast pace in the country. Now that the demand is not as restrained as it was, the sector will have to choose other priorities. The makers will have to focus on improving the management and increasing their productivity if they want to continue having a good performance when the orders start growing at a pace somewhat smaller than this far. The figures are already showing such deceleration. Proudfoot Consulting, specialized in the improvement of processes, estimates that the national production of vehicles may gain from 15% to 20% of annual productivity, without any extra investment, if it carries out the adjustments required in its operations. "The sector grew merely due to the heating of the market, and there is neither capacity nor manpower to copy with all that. From the next year on, when its feed rate remains between 3% and 4% a year, it will need energy - which can be achieved adjusting administration and costs. All that was left to second plan due to the need of keeping up with consumption boom, and that is where the great chance lies now ", says Elzo Guarnieri, vice-president of the consulting company. Among the main problems the industry has to correct are deficiencies in the qualification of the professionals, which results in overtime and rework; inadequacy of equipment and spaces for storage; disorganization of the internal logistics; and recalls due to manufacturing problems. "Paying greater attention to details - for instance, ruling out redundant processes and dimensioning the size of the teams - will mean greater profits and superior conditions of competitiveness", affirms Guarnieri.
