Salute to

and its workers

Feb. 23, 2011 D1

INSIDE
What a difference Chrysler,
Marchionne
a year makes
Chrysler in Kokomo filled with optimism as investments start to take hold
committed
to Kokomo
Future looks good for You “ put your money …
Local 685; Boruff
proud of its members, where your confidence is”
page D5 by Lisa Fipps
managing editor
editor@kokomoperspective.com

hen it comes to companies’

W “One thing to
point out when
commitments to communi-
ties, there’s a lot of talk. But
Chrysler Group LLC has put
its money where its mouth is
when it comes to its commitment to Kokomo.

it comes to the
The toughest jobs at importance of
Chrysler; these CASTING SUCCESS — The Kokomo Casting Plant is the world’s largest die cast facility and has Kokomo to this
ramped up to create 600,000 transmission a year. company is that
workers earn their Perspective photo / Chrysler Group LLC the $1.3 billion
paychecks, E1 investment is
by Patrick Munsey last quarter. And we plan on the largest total
staff writer Go online to launching in the March-April investment the
pmunsey@kokomoperspective.com
see more of timeframe of 2012. It’s a very company made
Each year, the leaders of this story. compressed time schedule.
Clark -- The front-wheel drive
in 2010,” said
Jodi Tinson,
Marchionne
Chrysler’s Kokomo operations — transmission is about four or five manufacturing
II; Jeremy Keating, plant manager
union and management — sit
of ITP II; Brian Garrison, plant months behind the rear-wheel and labor com- See
down with the Kokomo Perspec-
tive and share how the au-
manager of the Kokomo Casting drive program, so we’re mostly in
the rearrangement stage and
munications.
“Nowhere else
Marchionne’s
Plant (KCP); Jason Lewis, em-
tomaker is faring locally and
ployee relations for the Kokomo planning stage. We have not or- in this country bio on page D4
globally. A year ago, that meeting dered equipment yet. That is all did we invest
Transmission Plant (KTP); Brian
was somber, cautious, and a little timing. that kind of
Clark, plant manager for ITP I;
Salute to Chrysler uncertain. A bankruptcy, massive
Mike Butz, plant manager for Garrison -- So, it’s really al- money. That’s
includes pages of government loans, and new own- ready started. For the rear-wheel an indication of
KTP; George Maus, vice presi-
ership had everyone wondering drive at the casting plant, the re- our commit-
photos of workers, what the future held and if the
dent of United Auto Workers
tooling has already been ordered. ment. You put
(UAW) Local 1302; Joe Per, com-
page E6 company would recover.
plex manager for KTP and KCP; That investment is starting to be your money
What a difference a year spent. As Joe said, we won’t see where your
Rich Boruff, president of UAW
makes. anything running in the plants mouth is, where
Local 685; and Jerry Price, vice
This time around, electricity until at least September-October. your confidence
president of UAW Local 685. is.”
flowed from person to person as Per -- Your first die will be in
KP: We’ve heard about the $1 The au-
they talked about a revitalized
billion-plus investments coming. around August or September.
tomaker’s in-
Goodnight
company. If they have anything to What Brian will do is, he will get
How much of that investment has v e s t m e n t
say about it, Chrysler is going to his case dies and things like that
been put into place to date? immediately meant Chrysler workers in
make a big impact in the auto and starting doing run-off parts.
Per -- The rear-wheel drive Kokomo’s four plants were called back to
market. The company is back and KP -- A year ago, WCM was
transmission is probably first. As the plants and new workers were hired.
better than it has been in years. new. There was a lot of nervous-
far as where we are, we’re buying “We had to crank up production of our
The Perspective was joined by ness about the program. We got
equipment. We’re putting people six-speed transmissions more than we ex-
Kokomo Casting Plant a number of officials for a round-
in place. We’re developing launch to see some of the changes that pected,” said Brian Harlow, vice president
scores big with table discussion about Chrysler
teams. We’re clearing the plants. were taking place on the plant and head of Powertrain Manufacturing. “The
in Kokomo The participants in- floor, and they were pretty im-
Pentastar, cluded: Mark McClain, human re-
We’re engaging the workforce. casting plant is producing V6 blocks for our
We should see equipment in- pressive. How have you pro- Pentastar V6 engine that go into essentially
page F5 sources director for Indiana
stalled by the end of the year, the every vehicle we make. So the Kokomo
Transmission Plants (ITP) I and OVERVIEW–D4 Casting Plant’s contribution has been of
paramount importance. In the last four or
five months, we’ve increased the production

Chrysler had a great fall capacity there from 440,000 to 600,000 a

Harlow: Marchionne put Humpty Dumpty back together again
by Lisa Fipps
managing editor
editor@kokomoperspective.com
Gingerich talks about
the Chrysler lineup, ith all the ups and downs of the
See Harlow’s bio on page D4
“We expect our factories to run nonstop,” Har-
year. They are very much important to this
increase. They’re making the castings for
those transmissions and are integral in that
just as ITP and KTP are entrenched.”
In auto terms, the Kokomo Casting Plant
(KCP), Kokomo Transmission Plant (KTP),
Indiana Transmission Plant I (ITPI) and In-
diana Transmission Plant II (ITPII) are run-
ning on all cylinders.

W
low said. Headquarters never worked like that – •The ITPI currently produces the 45 RFE
auto in-
including the 200,

d u s t r y,
page F6 workers
often feel
like they’re on a wild roller
coaster ride. But when it
comes to Chrysler, Brian
Harlow doesn’t use the
words “roller coaster” to
describe what happened
at the company over the
past few years. He uses
the words “Humpty
Dumpty.”
A sign of the times at “Humpty Dumpty fell off
head of Powertrain
the wall and broke into a
Indiana Transmission
“
until Mar- rear-wheel drive transmission for Jeep
chionne. “The
Humpty Dumpty fell work ethic
Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty, Dodge
Dakota and Ram Trucks and 68 RFE for
off the wall and broke wasn’t bad at Cummins Diesel, Heavy Duty.
into a bunch of pieces. headquarters,” •ITP II produces the W5A580 5-speed
For whatever reasons — Harlow said. transmission for the Chrysler 300, Jeep
you can blame the “But Sergio Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Dodge
works unbe-
economy or whatever — lievable hours, Nitro and Dodge Charger.
we had a mess. •KTP makes the 62TE front-wheel drive
and headquar- transmission for the Chrysler Town & Coun-
Somebody had to put it ters is working
try, Dodge Avenger and Dodge Grand Cara-
back together. I have not like it never has van; 42RLE rear-wheel drive transmission
Brian Harlow seen anybody like before. It
for the Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge
vice president and Sergio. I have not seen works like a Charger, Dodge Nitro, Ram Trucks, Jeep Lib-
anything like what’s factory trying
erty and Jeep Wrangler; and the 40TE/41TE
Manufacturing transpired since he to put this thing - 40TES/41TES front-wheel drive transmis-

bunch of pieces,” Harlow,
Chrysler Group LLC
Plant I, page G1 vice president and head of
Powertrain Manufacturing,
said of the automaker. “It was that bad. For what-
ever reasons – you can blame the economy or what-
ever – we had a mess.”
And he credits Sergio Marchionne, chief execu-
tive officer, for doing to Chrysler what all of the
king’s horses and all of the king’s men couldn’t do in
the nursery rhyme. Marchionne put Humpty
Dumpty back together again.
“In my perspective, it looked – I wouldn’t say un-
recoverable, but if Sergio Marchionne hadn’t come
along …” Harlow’s voice trailed off. “Somebody had
IUK Chancellor to put it back together. I have not seen anybody like
impressed by Sergio. I have not seen anything like what’s tran-
spired since he took over.”
Chrysler, union And Harlow’s worked for Chrysler for 32 years.
leaders, page G6 (See “About Brian Harlow,” page D4.)
”
back together.”
took over. sion for the Chrysler 200, Chrysler Town &
And put it to- Country, Dodge Avenger and Dodge Grand
gether, they
Caravan.
did. •The KCP manufactures aluminum parts
Looking at the operating profit, Chrysler at first
for automotive components, transmissions
expected a break-even year in 2010. By the third and transaxle cases.
quarter, Marchionne forecasted the automaker
And Kokomo will continue to be impor-
would have an operating profit of $700 million, tant to Chrysler, Harlow said.
which would have been quite an accomplishment.
“The eight- and nine-speed transmissions
But it ended last year with an operating profit of that will be produced in Kokomo are taking
$763 million – far better than anyone thought
us well into the next decade,” he said.
Chrysler could do. (It had a net loss of $652 million The eight-speed rear-wheel-drive trans-
as it continues to pay off the high-interest loans the
mission and nine-speed front-wheel drive
federal government gave Chrysler in 2009 as part of
the bailout.)
transmissions “will get us to the point where
we’re meeting the fuel economy and emis-
In addition to investing more than $1.3 billion in
Kokomo, Chrysler Group has made significant
SERGIO–D2 KOKOMO–D2
Kokomo Perspective
D2
INSIDE VIEW — There are 861 workers (790 hourly and 71 salaried) at the Kokomo Casting Plant.
SERGIO
continued from page D1
progress toward building a
successful enterprise since
June 2009, including the fol-
lowing:
•announcement of a $600
million investment in the
Belvidere, Ill., Assembly
Plant;
•announcement of a $1 bil-
lion investment in the Ster-
ling Heights, Mich., Assembly
Plant and surrounding stamp-
ing facilities as well as the
Global Engine Manufacturing
Alliance (GEMA), Dundee,
Mich., facility;
•adding a second shift of
production – or nearly 1,100
jobs – at the Jefferson North,
Detroit, Assembly Plant;
•announcement that
Chrysler would add nearly
900 jobs on a second shift at
the Sterling Heights Assem-
bly Plant in the first quarter of
Feb. 23, 2011
2011;
•launch of the all-new 2011
Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger
and Dodge Durango in De-
cember 2010;
•launch of the all-new 2011
Jeep Grand Cherokee in May
2010;
•announcement in Decem-
ber 2009 that it will invest
$179 million to launch pro-
duction of the 1.4-liter, 16-
valve Fully Integrated
Robotized Engine (FIRE) at
the GEMA in Dundee, creat-
ing more than 150 new
Chrysler jobs;
•January 2011 announce-
ment of 10th consecutive
month of year-over-year sales
increases
•launch of 2011 Chrysler
300, Dodge Charger and
Dodge Challenger in January
In fact, for the full year
2010, Chrysler Group
launched 16 all-new or signif-
icantly refreshed vehicles.
These vehicles included two
new nameplates to the mar-
Salute to Chrysler
Perspective photo / Chrysler Group LLC
ket as well as 75 percent of
the nameplates carried over
from 2009.
“It’s not just what you see
on the exterior [of the prod-
uct],” Harlow said. “The inte-
riors are the best interiors
we’ve ever had.”
The transformation of
Chrysler under Marchionne
is a perfect example of how
much more people can ac-
complish with a great leader.
“He didn’t go out and hire
a bunch of people,” Harlow
said. “There are a few key
Fiat people he brought in. But
they’re not here ordering and
directing. It’s still us doing the
work. It’s the same people
who were working” under
Daimler-Benz starting in 1998
and Cerberus Capital Man-
agement in 2007.
“I’ve watched him and
been able to participate in
helping Sergio. He listens. He
decides. And we move.
Clearly, the competency of
the management team is ex-
KOKOMO
continued from page D1
sions regulations … as well
as making vehicles buyers
would like to have,” Harlow
said.
When asked if any prod-
ucts for Fiat are made lo-
cally, he said, “Not yet.”
Then Harlow, who is a talker
who goes into detail a lot,
didn’t say anything else.
Harlow, who was born
and raised in Tipton County,
is definitely committed to
Kokomo’s operations. So is
his boss, Scott Garberding,
senior vice president and
head of manufacturing.
“Just two weeks ago he
came down to Kokomo and
spent the day,” Harlow said
of Garberding. “He is a very
big supporter of Kokomo.
There are lots of people who
are very supportive and
helping along the way.”
Most importantly, Sergio
Marchionne, Chrysler
tremely high. Car people are
making decisions. The trust
level is quite high. That is the
model of taking people who
were in the ditch and putting
them in a position where they
can get out and successfully
deliver.”
“Obviously, we have our
job to do, and we are deliver-
ing,” Harlow said. “It’s a big
turn from where we were
headed before. The breadth
of Sergio’s capability comes
into play. We were in a meet-
ing recently about a new
product. There was a little,
well, discussion. He said,
‘Hey, I’m an engineer.’ And he
is. He’s also a lawyer. And an
accountant. He has a breadth
of knowledge. (See “About
Chrysler CEO Sergio Mar-
chionne on page D4.) He un-
derstands. He is a quick
study. Yet he’s not an arrogant
person. That’s what’s remark-
able. He’s like anybody else.
People here get to speak hon-
estly and openly again.”
Group’s chief executive offi-
cer, is committed.
“He came to town and
was very supportive,” Har-
low said of Marchionne.
“He’s been very supportive
of Kokomo from the start.
He is the first CEO that I
know of that understands
the importance of the oper-
ations here.”
Mayor Greg Goodnight
speaks very highly of Mar-
chionne.
“No. 1, he has a record of
success of turning Fiat
around and has not only
changed the company, but
he’s changed the image of
the company,” said Good-
night. “I think that is exactly
what was needed at
Chrysler. He has invested,
obviously, here locally at un-
heard of levels in a short
amount of time. I think he’s
committed to our commu-
nity. There are a lot of rea-
sons why that’s the case. I
don’t think there could be a
better person running the
company.”
About the four
Kokomo Chrysler plants
Kokomo Casting Plant
1001 E. Boule-
vard
Floor space:
625,000 square feet
Acreage: 35 acres
Products: alu-
minum parts for au-
tomotive components, transmission and transaxle cases
Employment: 861 (790 hourly; 71 salaried)
Union local: United Auto Workers Local No. 1166 and
No. 1302
Plant history: World’s largest die cast facility. The
plant was completed and began production in 1965 with
expansions in 1969, 1986, 1995 and 1997. Chrysler Group
announced in May 2010 that it would invest $43 million
to adapt the plant for production of the World Engine
and improve processes for the 62TE transmission pro-
gram. Then in June, the company announced it would
invest $300 million for production of a new, highly fuel-
efficient eight-speed automatic transmission for use in
future Chrysler Group vehicles. Chrysler Group an-
nounced in November 2010 that it would invest $843 mil-
lion for production of a future generation front-wheel
drive automatic transmission for use in future Chrysler
Group vehicles.
Kokomo Trans-
mission Plant
2401 S. Reed
Road
Floor space: 3.1
million square feet
Acreage: 110-
acre site with Kokomo Casting Plant
Products: transmissions
•62TE: FWD - Chrysler Town & Country, Chrysler 200,
Dodge Avenger, Dodge Journey and Dodge Grand Cara-
van
•42RLE: RWD - Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge
Charger, Dodge Nitro, Ram Trucks, Jeep Liberty and
Jeep Wrangler
•40TE/41TE - 40TES/41TES: FWD - Chrysler 200,
Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Avenger and Dodge
Journey
Employment: 2,345 (2,174 hourly; 171 salaried)
Union local: UAW Local No. 685 and No. 1302
Plant history: Transmission plant completed and pro-
duction began in 1956. There have been 12 expansions
since then. Chrysler Group announced in May 2010 that
it would invest $43 million to adapt the plant for pro-
duction of the World Engine and improve processes for
the 62TE transmission program. Then in June 2010, the
company announced that it would invest $300 million to
produce a new, fuel-efficient eight-speed automatic
transmission for future Chrysler Group vehicles. An in-
vestment of an additional $85 million was announced in
December 2010.
Indiana Trans-
mission Plant I
3660 N. U.S. 31
Floor space: 1.2
million square feet
Acreage: 233
Products:
•545 RFE RWD transmissions for Jeep® Grand
Cherokee, Dodge Durango, Dodge Dakota and Ram
Trucks
•68 RFE for Cummins Diesel, Heavy Duty
Employment: 1,558 (1,428 hourly, 130 salaried - com-
bined with Indiana Transmission Plant II)
Union local: UAW Local No. 685
Plant history: Plant completed and began production
of transmissions in 1998. Chrysler Group announced in
November 2010 that it would invest $843 million for pro-
duction of a future generation front-wheel drive auto-
matic transmission for use in future Chrysler Group
vehicles.
Indiana Trans-
mission Plant
II
3360 N. U.S. 31
Floor space:
600,000 square feet
Acreage: 61 acres
Product: W5A580 – 5-speed transmission for the
Chrysler 300, Jeep® Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango,
Dodge Nitro, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger.
Employment: 1,558 (1,428 hourly, 130 salaried - com-
bined with Indiana Transmission Plant I)
Robotics: 34
Union local: U.A.W. Local No. 685 and No. 1302
Plant history: Construction of the facility began in
2002 and the plant launched production in November
2003. Chrysler Group announced in November 2010 that
it would invest $843 million for production of a future
generation front-wheel drive automatic transmission for
use in future Chrysler Group vehicles.
 February 23, 2011 Kokomo Perspective Page D3

The members of UAW 685 are

committed to building Kokomo’s future.

WORKING TOGETHER
685 AS A COMMUNITY &
STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE!
Kokomo Perspective
D4
About Chrysler CEO
Sergio Marchionne
Sergio Marchionne was
named chief executive offi-
cer of Chrysler Group LLC
in June 2009.
On Jan. 1, 2011, Mar-
chionne was appointed
chairman of Fiat Industrial
S.p.A, resulting from the de-
merger with Fiat S.p.A and
maintains his role as CEO of
Fiat S.p.A.
Previously, Marchionne
was appointed chairman of
Case New Holland (CNH) in
April 2006 and CEO of Fiat
Group Automobiles in Feb-
ruary 2005. He was ap-
pointed CEO of Fiat S.p.A. in
June 2004 and has been a
member of the board since
May 2003.
His work and academic
background includes the fol-
lowing:
•2011, chairman of Fiat
Industrial S.p.A, including
Iveco and Fiat Powertrain
•2009, CEO, Chrysler
Group LLC
•2006, chairman, CNH
•2006 (current), chair-
man, SGS Group of Geneva
•2005, CEO, Fiat Group
Automobiles
•2004, CEO, Fiat S.p.A.
•2003, member of the
board, Fiat S.p.A.
•2002, CEO, SGS Group
of Geneva
•2002, chairman, Lonza
Group Ltd.
•2000, CEO, chairman,
Lonza Group Ltd.
•1994, various positions
of increasing responsibility
until becoming CEO, Al-
group
•1992, vice president of
legal and corporate develop-
ment and CEO, Lawson
Group
•1990, vice president of fi-
nance and chief financial of-
ficer, Acklands Ltd.
•1989, executive vice
president, Glenex Industries
•1985, group controller-
director of corporate devel-
opment, Lawson Mardon
Group
•1983, accountant and tax
specialist, Deloitte & Touche
In 2010, he joined the
Feb. 23, 2011
board of directors of Exor
S.p.A.
Marchionne also serves as
a member of the board of
Philip Morris International
Inc. and a member of the
General Council of Confind-
ustria (the employers asso-
ciation of Italy), of
Assonime (the association
of Italian corporates), and of
ACEA (European Automo-
bile Manufacturers Associa-
tion). He is a permanent
member of the Fondazione
Giovanni Agnelli. He is also
a member of the board of
the Peterson Institute for In-
ternational Economics and
the chairman of the Italian
Branch of the Council for
the United States in Italy.
Marchionne continues to
serve as chairman of SGS SA
headquartered in Geneva.
He previously served as the
non-executive vice chair-
man and senior independent
director for UBS.
Marchionne is a barrister,
solicitor and chartered ac-
countant. He obtained a
Bachelor of Laws from Os-
good Hall Law School at
York University in Toronto,
Canada. He also holds a
Master of Business Adminis-
tration from the University
of Windsor, Canada.
Marchionne is a recipient
of a degree ad honorem in
industrial engineering and
management from Polytech-
nic University in Turin and a
master’s degree honoris
causa from the CUOA Foun-
dation. He also has a degree
in economics honoris causa
from the University of
Cassino, and an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree from
the University of Windsor.
Marchionne also holds the
honor of Cavaliere del La-
voro.
Marchionne was born in
Chieti, Italy, and has dual
Canadian and Italian citizen-
ship.
Salute to Chrysler
OVERVIEW
continued from page D1
gressed with the program;
how far do you have to go?
Garrison -- A long way to
go. We’re learning every day.
It is as challenging as we
thought it was going to be.
When you met with us last
year, it was new to us.
Clark -- The expectation is
world class. When you think
of world-class athletes, that is
a high bar to reach. There is a
lot of room to grow.
Butz -- It’s a continuing
process, and it’s one that has
milestone audits along the
way to check our progress in
implementing WCM. It’s really
a never-ending continuum to
get and stay at world-class lev-
els in productivity and quality,
in worker engagement.
KP - Has the corporation
given you good feedback? Are
they pleased with the
progress in the plants?
Garrison -- Yes. There is a
central team at CTC that is in-
volved with us, as well as the
external audits that take place
on a routine basis.
Keating -- In scoring, our
division has done pretty well.
We just had an audit, and we
were second only to GEMA
(Global Engine Manufactur-
ing Alliance).
Clark -- I would say, for
Kokomo, our progression is
going in the right direction.
Butz -- I think our auditors
certainly have acknowledged
the involvement of our work-
force in WCM. With our team
members making a commit-
ment in improved quality and
throughput and loss reduc-
tion, certainly that aspect
comes out in our audits. One
of the reasons we have done
as well as we have has been
the engagement of our people.
KP -- What level of buy-in
have we seen from the hourly
workers?
Boruff -- Kokomo employ-
ees have always stepped up to
any program that’s been
thrown at them and really
achieved well. When I first
started this job nine years
ago, we were winning awards
for what the workers had
done.
KP -- In the past, there has
been much talk about how
well the hourly workforce
and management have
worked together. Is that part-
nership still important to this
process.
Keating -- Moreso.
Butz -- Absolutely. Our
goals are the same. We all
want to achieve our goals as a
plant, have full employment
in Kokomo, work together to
produce the best-quality
transmissions in the world.
We are aligned together. If we
don’t, we can’t achieve our
goals. It would be like to guys
in a rowboat, rowing in differ-
ent directions. You just spin in
circles.
We have tough targets that
our corporation is asking us
to achieve at all of our plants
in Kokomo. Without Richie
and the team, we couldn’t do
it.
KP -- What’ll Chrysler look
like here a year from now?
Garrison -- From the street
it may not look different. We
will be taking off a year from
now, with the new rear-wheel
drive and front-wheel drive
transmissions coming. It will
be a very busy time.
Maus -- Maybe two years
from now would be a better
time to look at it.
Boruff -- KTP will be
flipped upside-down in about
half of the plant.
Garrison -- So will KCP. All
of our products will be
phased out for the new rear-
wheel drive and front-wheel
drive programs.
Per -- ITP I will be accept-
ing new equipment this time
next year.
Price -- Hopefully, we’ll be
selling so many vehicles we
can’t keep up. It would be a
good problem to have.
KP -- You have seen vol-
umes increase over the past
12 months. It’s a lot busier in
your plants today, isn’t it?
Clark -- We just made a vol-
ume adjustment last week at
ITP I. We added another 150
units.
Keating -- The whole point
of the eight- and nine-speed
transmissions is to produce
the best in the world. Who is
making eight- and nine-
speeds right now? Fiat looked
at it as we can’t afford just to
compete. We could come out
with another six-speed or an-
other seven-speed. But if we
ever want to surpass the com-
petition, we have to think fur-
ther down the road.
KP -- If there is one thing
that you would people to
know about what is going on
in your plants today, what
would it be?
Garrison -- I would want
them to know about the en-
thusiasm and energy that our
people have to bring Chrysler
back to full volume again. A
year and a half ago, if you
asked anybody would we be
where we’re sitting today,
there wouldn’t have been a
single person, including my-
self, who would have said
we’d be anywhere close.
Clark -- Take a page out of
the President’s speech last
fall. Don’t bet against us.
Don’t bet against the Ameri-
can worker. Don’t bet against
Chrysler.
Per -- And never forget
where we were. Going for-
ward, never forget. Too many
times we take our eye off the
ball. People might think this is
easy to get over, but it hasn’t
been. It could have been dev-
astating. So, don’t forget
where we were, and use it as
enthusiasm and focus and
drive to launch a world-class
product with high excitement.
Price -- The bankruptcy
woke up a lot of people. You
get to taking stuff for granted
and think it will never happen
here. It came pretty close. It
can happen here. We almost
out of job. That has changed
attitudes a little bit. But any-
time a change has been
thrown at the workers,
they’ve put their arms around
it. They understand it is their
livelihood, and they want to
keep the work here.
Maus -- There is a more se-
rious attitude toward partici-
pation.
Price -- We have to sell ve-
hicles. We’re on a good run,
and we have to keep it up.
About Brian
Harlow
Brian Harlow has worked
at Chrysler for 32 years. In
June 2009, he was appointed
vice president-head of Pow-
ertrain Manufacturing Oper-
ations.
He holds a bachelor’s de-
gree in civil engineering
from Purdue University and
a master’s degree in man-
agement from Indiana Wes-
leyan University.
He started his career with
Chrysler in 1978 as a plant
engineer at the Kokomo
Transmission Plant. He held
several positions at the fa-
cility as well as the Indiana
Transmission Plant (ITP),
where he became manufac-
turing manager in 1998.
Beginning in 2000, he
moved to Chrysler head-
quarters, in Auburn Hills,
Mich., where he has held the
following positions:
•director–staff manufac-
turing engineering, 2000-
2001
•director–advance manu-
facturing engineering pow-
ertrain operations,
2001-2005
•general man-
ager–transmission/casting/
machining, 2005-2009
•head of powertrain op-
erations and core team
leader, 2009
He and his wife of 32
years, Rachelle, have three
children. The oldest, Adri-
anne, is associate head
coach of the Southern Illi-
nois University women’s
basketball team. Their son,
Benjamin, was recently mar-
ried to Jenée and is a vet-
eran of the 82nd Airborne
and served two terms in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Their
youngest, Shanna, is mar-
ried to Nate, and they have
recently returned from
Ethiopia with their newly
adopted son.
Harlow is an avid Purdue
Fan and loves to play the
piano for his church.
 Feb. 23, 2011 Kokomo Perspective

Salute to Chrysler D5

Future for Local 685 looking good

thing that the new we’d also like to be able to
Boruff proud of members, wants to see people, company prosper hires cannot necessar- buy our own products.
ily do, he explained. “Henry Ford was a genius.
by Patrick Munsey thing is to reaffirm the voice the plant and see the im-
staff writer of the worker. Nobody has provements. It would give “New people hire in He said a man should sup-
pmunsey@kokomoperspective.com more knowledge about the them more confidence to in- at $14.65 an hour; port family and buy the
process than the guy doing vest in us. what can they buy at product he makes. His wife
here are more $14.65 an hour,” said should be able to stay home

T
the job.” “(Fiat and Chrysler CEO)
smiles in the This negotiation will be dif- Sergio (Marchionne) wants to Boruff. “A used car, if she chooses to instead of
halls of United ferent. The union cannot offer the stock by June, and and you hope they being forced into work to
Auto Workers strike through 2015 as a con- he wants to buy controlling have the loyalty to support the family. That’s
Local 685 than dition of the loans from the interest in the company be- buy one of our prod- where we went wrong.
there have been in years. federal government. Those fore that happens. That’s ucts. The least expen- “The working class has
Chrysler is rebounding from loans will impact every aspect what we want, too. We want a sive Chrysler been sold out by politicians.
a near-fatal bankruptcy, and of the new agreement unless car guy to take control of this products don’t have Until we start speaking up
more than $1.2 billion in they can be retired before- corporation. We don’t ever transmissions that are and saying we’re done elect-
new investment has been hand. want to get in a situation made here. They’re ing people interested only in
GETTING THE JOB DONE — made in Belvedere, Ill. themselves, we are never
pledged to the transmission “We owe the government again where we aren’t owned There are 1,558 employees (1,428 We have to support going to fix this problem.
plants in Kokomo. Local $7.4 billion,” said Boruff. “If by a car guy. He wants us to
president Rich Boruff hourly, 130 salaried) at ITP I and each other, but how You have to stand up. We
we follow GM’s trend of of- be the best. When this guy sits ITP II combined.
places a good deal of credit fering stock with a good re- across from us and says that, you do that when need a revolution of work-
Perspective photo / Chrysler
for the good news on the ception for the Initial Public I feel like he’s speaking from can’t afford to buy ing class people. We’re not
shoulders of his member- Offering, we can address that. the heart. He wants nothing things, in Boruff’s opinion, is product you make? going to tolerate having our
ship. I think it will happen. I wish but good things for us.” the ability to purchase We want a sound business standard of living taken
“We’re going to be the best, people could walk through Primary among those good Chrysler products. It’s some- more than anybody, but down.”
and by being the best, the
company will bring more
work to Kokomo,” said
Boruff. “The skill of the work-
ers is why they bring the
work here. Not Mexico. Not
Detroit. Not Canada. They
could have taken it other
places, but the reason they
brought the work here is the
skill of the worker.”
That quality translated into
new hires last summer. Vaca-
tion replacement workers
were hired off the streets just
a year after the entire com-
pany shut down operations.
Unfortunately, those tempo-
rary workers are not in the
plant today, but there is op-
portunity for their return.
“We have all of the senior-
ity people working,” said
Boruff. “The company laid off
the summer replacements,
though they actually held
them on longer than the con-
tractual language said they
had to. But it’s a minor hit. It’s
a dip we go through about
every year. They’ll be back by
the first week of April.”
Full employment at
Chrysler’s facilities in
Kokomo is a reality. No
sooner did they return to
work, they were hit with a
massive new program —
World Class Manufacturing
(WCM). It’s a philosophy that
reshapes every aspect of pro-
duction, and it promises to
improve the quality of the
workplace along with the
product.
“In the past, with Daimler-
Chrysler’s Total Production
Maintenance, they had all
these plans we were going to
do,” said Boruff. “We saw im-
provements, but we couldn’t
sustain them as we migrated
the program across the facili-
ties. We are still launching
World Class Manufacturing
but from what we have seen
so far is amazing. As we ex-
pand, I believe we will be able
to sustain this program. It’s a
better process.
“The beast about it is
changing the processes that
have been there forever.
There is a lot of ground to
cover to get everything back
to basic conditions. When we
flip the facilities for the new
transmissions, it will be much
easier to maintain. We’re
going to see some good stuff
happen. People will be able
to work in an environment
they’ve never had before.”
WCM mandated better
working conditions, better
production processes, better
product quality. The mem-
bers of Local 685 are doing
their part to hit the goals set
by the program. Boruff, how-
ever, holds concerns about
how his fellow unionists will
be treated in the future. The
collective bargaining agree-
ment between the union and
the company expires on Oct.
29, and there are issues to dis-
cuss.
Boruff was elected chair-
man of the national bargain-
ing committee for the
UAW-Chrysler locals. He will
head to Detroit this summer
to lead the negotiating team.
He has some priorities in
mind for the new agreement.
“If we don’t do anything at
the table other than recapture
some of the concessions that
were made at the expense of
our retirees, we have to do
that,” said Boruff. “The other
Page D6 Kokomo Perspective February 23, 2011