Jeep is aware that among the many attributes of its vehicles, initial quality is not high on the list – far from it, actually. The brand (and indeed all former FCA marques) consistently rank poorly on JD Power’s well-respected initial quality survey. So it says it’s doing something about it.
The change starts in Detroit where Stellantis recently opened a renovated plant called the Mack Plant. Although it has been in operation since 1916, this wasn’t a simple refresh. The automaker tore the factory down to the girders in order to build it back up into a new kind of plant that would nip quality issues in the bud, reports Newsweek.
The factory is building the next-generation Grand Cherokee L, which introduced a new, upmarket look for the SUV that is being rolled out to other vehicles like the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. To make the upgrade credible, Jeep put a premium on quality.
Read: Stellantis’ Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Ram, Chrysler Hit Rock Bottom In U.S. Customer Service Satisfaction
To ensure the Grand Cherokee L would be as well-built as possible, the brand put the vehicle and manufacturing teams together six months earlier than it normally would, to help them build a construction plan that would be as well thought out as possible. That meant that Jeep had a hand in creating the layout of the Mack Plant’s floorplan to customize the manufacturing process as best as it could.
The full redesign of the plant also meant a new workforce that Jeep could pick and make feel invested in the quality of the Grand Cherokee L. The company pulled experienced workers from other lines to put them in charge of the Mack Plant and created a deliberately slow onboarding process.
“It was an opportunity to set a new precedent,” Jeep’s model responsible for the Grand Cherokee L, Mario Holmes, told Newsweek. “This is their car.”
On the plant floor, there’s a sign that reads “Build no defect. Accept no defect. Ship no defect.” In order to accomplish that mission, workers are given the ability to stop the line if they find any defect, which means that they are caught before they go on the vehicle. That will mean fewer vehicles being sent to dealerships and then being recalled, saving the company money.
Testing also happens more frequently at the Mack Plant. At three distinct points on the production line, workers test the vehicle and its parts to make sure that fewer defects slip through the cracks. That also means new tests, like “Buzz, Squeak, and Rattle” and a nine position water test that seeks to ensure that water doesn’t leak into the vehicle when it is on an incline, something a Jeep, in particular, might be subjected to.
Read Also: Detroit Residents First In Line To Receive Jobs At FCA’s New Plant In The Motor City
Mechanical engineers, too, have been moved onto the factory floor to get them closer to the vehicle they’re responsible for. That, Jeep believes, will create a more cohesive partnership from design to manufacturing, helping teams work together to find manufacturing processes that work the first time.
Finally, data mining helps track trends drawn from repair information to find patterns that will help engineers design better parts, effectively stopping issues before they appear in new vehicles.
The whole change is part of a process that Jeep hopes will help it climb the rankings on JD Power’s initial quality survey, as it has started doing. More importantly, the company hopes that it will help get a better product out to the customers.
