Chrysler Program Gives Engineers More Recognition

Chrysler will begin cultivating its top engineering talent and “afford them the opportunity to pursue personal fulfillment befitting their expertise,” the auto maker says.

While engineers aren’t ignored at Chrysler, the program announced today gives them the recognition they deserve, a high-ranking executive tells WardsAuto.

Called the Technical Career-Path Program, it identifies four levels of technical-specialty recognition: Technical Specialist, Senior Technical Specialist, Walter P. Chrysler Technical Fellow and Walter P. Chrysler Senior Technical Fellow.

The goal is to keep top talent at the auto maker, promote more in-house development of powertrain technology and cultivate engineering ingenuity, the latter of which has been a challenge, says Mircea Gradu, vice president-powertrain/driveline.

“We have one of the most competent groups in the industry and we want to build upon that,” Gradu says.

The technical-specialist distinction will be based not on education level but on performance, Gradu says. The program in part is aimed at elevating the stature of Chrysler engineers in the eyes of their peers throughout the industry, he adds.

Specific powertrain and driveline areas that could see an immediate development boost as a result of the program include internal combustion, calibration, lubrication and supplier quality.

Gradu also is looking to strengthen the auto maker’s partnership with supplier ZF Friedrichshafen, which engineered the much-anticipated 9-speed transmission Chrysler will produce at its Kokomo, IN, plant next year, and improve cross-departmental collaboration in its own product-development operations.

“This program will drive a lot of future product quality similar to the Viper improvement,” he says. Designers of the new ’13 SRT Viper say a more harmonious partnership with engineers helped meet developmental goals for the revived high-performance coupe due to enter production toward the end of the year.

The Technical Career-Path Program is another sign of CEO Sergio Marchionne’s hands-on involvement with all facets of operation, a marked change from ownership under Cerberus and Daimler, the Chrysler official says.

“(There) hasn’t been a better time than now,” Gradu says. “The dialogue that we have with top-level management is unmatched.”

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