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“TODAY, MORE THAN EVER, ADDRESSING SUCCESSFULLY THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE GLOBAL MARKET REQUIRES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF PROCESSES ”Through a process of ‘progressive revolution’, FCA’s assembly plant in Melfi, Italy, today boasts a well-integrated and highly-organized production system with the flexibility for continuous adaptation and improvement. That production system, based on key concepts such as placing humans at the centre of the process, makes Melfi one of FCA’s most sustainable, lean and smart production sites. The plant was recently recognized for its performance and innovation with the OEM Special Award ‘SMART Digital Operations’, for which it was selected from among the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) plants operating across Europe. Making cars is one of today’s most complex assembly processes, requiring continuous rapid advances in technological innovation and the level of automation. At the same time, customers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and considerations such as the environmental profile of vehicles that they are willing to buy and drive have become of greater importance. Today, more than ever, addressing successfully the complexities of the global market requires continuous improvements in operational efficiency and the sustainability of processes. FCA is responding to that challenge with a lean, smart and digital operating model that is the result of continuous improvements in processes, a strong commitment to sustainable innovation and the direct participation of its employees in the pursuit of excellence. Identifying emerging technologies, trends and opportunities, while targeting those with the greatest potential, is embedded within the organization at various levels as demonstrated through the experience at Melfi.AT THE CENTRE OF A PROGRESSIVE REVOLUTIONThe Melfi assembly plant, located in southern Italy, boasts a total surface area of 1.9 million m2, 7,700 employees and over 6.3 million vehicles produced since 1994. Three models are currently in production at Melfi: the Jeep Renegade (small SUV), the Fiat 500X (small crossover) and the Fiat Punto. In recent years, the plant and its entire work organization model have been progressively transformed by upgrading the existing facility – where previously only the Fiat Punto was produced – with the most advanced manufacturing technologies and upfront data exchange tools. However, while the level of automation has increased significantly, human operators remain the backbone of the production system. In fact, the redesign of the Melfi plant as a digital factory was based on the integrated modular factory model, which assumes that advanced processes and tools function as partners, supporting rather than substituting the operator. All added value activities are executed by human operators in fluid combination with more than 900 robots. Together with the standards of efficiency and quality guaranteed by World Class Manufacturing (WCM), this means the plant is part of a continuous improvement process, where men and machines do the right things, in the right place, at the right time. With its highly-efficient production processes, the plant is also ‘low-impact’. The majority of electric and thermal energy requirements are provided by an on-site tri-generator plant, which uses natural gas as its only fuel source. In terms of efficiency, this system is equivalent to using renewable energy. These measures, in addition to practices associated with the ISO-certified energy management system and the WCM programme, have delivered a 37 per cent reduction in CO2 emitted per vehicle produced over the last five years. A NEW PLANT LANDSCAPEFCA has recently completed the development of a completely new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure known as the ‘New Plant Landscape’ (NPL). Deployed at Melfi and other major FCA plants worldwide, the NPL employs the most advanced ICT solutions for manufacturing in order to achieve the highest standards of quality in manufacturing and assembly processes. The benefits of NPL include: use of electronic data to support quality control processes as well as vehicle tracking and traceability to components suppliers; real-time data for equipment performance and process variables enabling improved troubleshooting and root cause analysis, which supports rapid decision-making at all levels; a common user portal with enhanced usability and access to relevant data for operators; improved logistics flows with automatic material sequencing and call-off; and optimized layout of the production line, saving space and reducing the plant’s overall carbon footprint. Proof of that is given by FCA Melfi waste management practices. As the result of a rigorous waste separation process, which has been in place for several years, the plant sends zero waste to landfill. In addition, recent improvements in the processes and technologies used in the paint shop have led to a two-fold result: the volume of byproducts has been reduced by 65 per cent; and all materials are now reusable meaning zero waste. TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY 097