DaimlerChrysler, Suppliers Turn to Oakland University Center For Advanced Systems Engineering Training

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 7 Working with engineers from
DaimlerChrysler Corporation and its suppliers, the faculty of the Product
Development and Manufacturing (PDM) Center at Oakland University has completed
pilot testing of a new training course in advanced Systems Engineering.
    With successful completion of the program pilot, DaimlerChrysler is
recommending the course to its engineers and its key supplier firms.
    "This training results in the improved ability of our employees and
suppliers to think systemically and thus provide world-class systems to our
customers," said Bernard I. Robertson, DaimlerChrysler's Senior Vice President
- Engineering Technologies and Regulatory Affairs & General Manager - Truck
Operations.
    The intensive, three-day course at the PDM Center is aimed at refocusing
the engineers' thinking on designing systems, shifting the focus away from
parts and components.  The Center's Director, Dr. Pat Dessert, has been
working with DaimlerChrysler and a number of automotive suppliers since 1997.
    A goal of the course is to assist suppliers in their expanded role in the
design and manufacture of vehicles, Dessert said.
    DaimlerChrysler has recommended that its supplier firms take advantage of
the training offered by Dessert's program.  "The systems approach taught by
Dr. Dessert and his faculty is critical in meeting the challenges of an
increasingly competitive and demanding marketplace.  It is important that we
employ the principles of systems engineering throughout the extended
enterprise at DaimlerChrysler," Robertson said.
    The automotive supply community has recognized the value of the PDM
Center's courses.  William Olsen, Chief Engineer, Steering System Engineering
at TRW-Chassis Systems, said, "TRW has been working with Dr. Dessert on
applying Systems Engineering for some time now, and we have achieved
outstanding results.  The course being taught and recommended by
DaimlerChrysler isn't a burden on our engineers at all.  They enjoy the course
immensely and apply the principles immediately."
    Steven Polakowski, Director of Systems Engineering at Magna International,
said, "Suppliers get directed to do things by the customer very frequently.
In this case, it is a great call.  This course is something that we gain
benefits from immediately and should prove to be a benefit for both us and
DaimlerChrysler."
    Established in 1997, the PDM Center at Oakland University is an
internationally recognized entity providing education, applied research, and
technology transfer for the automotive industry.

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