In 2009, the Group continued to extend World Class Manufacturing principles to non-manufacturing areas.
World Class Administration (WCA) is the continuous improvement programme adopted by Fiat Services, the company that manages the Group’s administrative activities worldwide. WCA is based on the same principles as WCM, and is applied to all lines of services offered (e.g., accounting, payroll and customs services), with the logic, tools and development standards of WCM being adapted to the non-manufacturing context. Even here, the objective remains the reduction of waste within processes in order to achieve the same goals: zero defects, zero breakdowns, and zero waste and thereby significantly reducing environmental impact.
The programme is currently operational in five of Fiat Services’ 10 sites (2 in Italy, 1 in Poland, 1 in Brazil and 1 in Argentina), which account for 85% of its employees. The results achieved in 2009 clearly demonstrate that the actions taken have made an impact: a 25% drop in paper consumption compared with the previous year, through more efficient use of printers and digitalised documentation, and a 25% drop in toner consumption, due to the introduction of an “eco” printing mode using less ink and the substitution of personal printers with more efficient printing bays. In 2010, World Class Administration will be extended to Fiat Services’ 5 remaining sites around the world.