New Flyer Institute
RPL at New Flyer
December 2, 2010
New Flyer Overview
• Founded in 1930 as Western Flyer Auto & Truck Body Works with 5
employees. Today New Flyer is the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty
transit buses in Canada and the United States. The Company's facilities
are all ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified. With a skilled
workforce of over 2,000 employees worldwide, New Flyer is a
technology leader, offering the broadest product line in the industry,
including drive systems powered by clean diesel, LNG, CNG and electric
trolley as well as energy-efficient gasoline-electric and diesel-electric
hybrid vehicles. All products are supported with an industry-leading,
comprehensive parts and support network.
• New Flyer just celebrated its 80th Anniversary
Past Culture
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Highly skilled workforce
Adaptable/Customized Product
Reacted to changes on the fly
Predominantly a reactive environment
Communication challenges
Training and Development was based on perceived needs and requests
OJT (On the Job Training) was completed by osmosis
No defined structure or learning journey
Basic skills not pre-determined and no standards established
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
• In 2002-2003 New Flyer embarked on the Skills passport journey in
partnership with:
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Competiveness Training and Trade
Canadian Auto Workers
WPLAR
WEM
Defining competencies
Defining essential skills
Defining core skills and knowledge
Standardized development as a potential outcome
Welder essential Skills
Workplace essential skills for manufacturing
Data Tracking System
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Skills Passport and Essential Skills
Outcome of the Skills Passport Project
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Implementation did not take place
Drastic Change in Culture
Change in project personnel
Timings
New Flyer was not ready for full implementation
Viewed as punitive
New Flyer is using some aspects of the project
Other companies have had the opportunity to introduce the skills
passport concept
New Flyer Cultural Changes
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Need to ready the organization with clear vision
Define core values
Define Mission
Top down support
Change management philosophy/principles
Changes in increments-Implement slowly
Constant communication-varying methods-Keep the workforce informed
and engaged
• Invest in structured employee development
2009 Cultural Changes-Operations
Excellence
• Operational Excellence encompasses all of the elements of lean and its
principles.
• Long term success and sustainability
• NF vision is to embed these principles as part of New Flyer cultureLeadership to shop floor
• Provided lean 101 and 5S training to the workforce
• Weekly/Monthly updates are being utilized (5S)
• Annual Lean Assessment scores-CME to Audit
• Lean scores are based on the following:
• Management Support, Culture, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Set-up Reduction,
TPM, Pull System, Production/Information Flow, Layout, Standard Work , Lean
Product and Process Design , Accounting, Supply Chain, Continuous
Improvement
2009 Cultural Changes-New Flyer
Institute
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Identified as a key enabling project for 2010-2012 strategy road-map.
Access to increased training and skills development
In line with key strategic themes
Enable and empower our employees
Strive for excellence in the following categories:
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Foundational Development
Employee Development
Systems Development
Leadership Development
Manufacturing Development
• Employees canvassed (Focus Groups) for their opinions
New Flyer Institute Mandate
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Provide a framework for employee development
Develop internal capacity for course/program delivery
Utilization of internal SME’s and leadership teams
Develop competencies and essential skills
Develop training standards across the organization
Develop OJT (On the Job training program). Adoption of the TWI
program Job Instruction
Design electronic training capture
Design course curricula
Design a training and compliance database
Design policies and procedures to support the function
New Flyer Institute Mandate
What did New Flyer Do?
Benchmarking
• Why benchmark?
• What makes successful organizations exactly that, successful?
• What is a fit for the organization?
• What is the organization striving for?
• Align with core values and mission statement
• Based on minimum requirements
• Two high profile companies benchmarked
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A company with an established training and development system
A company with a training and development system in its infancy designed from
the ground up with competencies and essential skill requirements embedded
• Based on the benchmarking and New Flyer Institute mandate. NF
established its needs and is now in partnership with WPLAR
2010-Partnership with WPLAR
• Determine, competencies and essential skills for supervisory and
manufacturing
• Establish standardization and consistency in employee training and
development.
• Established competencies, essential skills for the varying job functions
• Aid in development of training plans for new hires
• Aid in development of individual training plans for the existing workforce
• Utilize a PLAR process (based on the training plan).
• JTA (Job Task Analysis) of the position and work.
• The outcome of this project will also aid in the design of job descriptions.
2010-Partnership with WPLAR
Recognizing Prior Learning/Embedding
Essential Skills
• Multi Cultural Workforce
• Like for like skills
• Formal as well as informal-Applying learned skills and knowledge
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Courses
Hobbies
Training
Passed down-Farming/Mechanical skills for example
• Confirmation of knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes through
assessments/demonstrations and tests
• Portfolio Options
• Identification of Critical task/skills
Training Plan (Example)
Skills Matrix
Moving Forward 2011 and Beyond
• Multi Skilled Workforce through Standardized training and development
• Standardized documentation
• Standard set of competencies, organizational as well as skills or task
related
• Succession Planning
• Career Paths
• Mentorship Program
• Internal Leadership Programs based on NF needs
• OJT Training
• OJT (On the Job training) Program
• Job descriptions