Pros
Peer-to-peer co-operation for the most part perceived as excellent. This was essential in view of a top management that I felt was largely disconnected from real life and the daily challenges on the shop floor . Received valuable support from direct supervisors, not just lip service. Forged many lines of communication with engineering and production departments which proved valuable in the timely resolution of quality incidents in production.
Cons
Not enough focus on design for manufacturability, critical characteristics, and fit and function during New Product development. Quality and build issues were not adequately addressed during the prototype phase. Instead I observed too many problems during pilot builds and serial production that should have been recognized beforehand. All in all, quality planning and design process needs to be structured according to APQP. Product quality at Manitowoc appears to be more of an afterthought rather than a structured process aka APQP. It relies way too much on a system of Quality Improvements (QIs) that for the most part are issued by production and quality personnel to resolve problems after launch of production. QIs give rise to ECOs with resulting design revisions. With so many folks let go during numerous reductions in workforce and a decimated quality department, I am afraid the customer will see an increase in build issues that were filtered out and addressed before.