AIAG Congress Addresses Construction Industry Boom
17 December 1998
AIAG Congress Addresses Construction Industry Boom
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 17 -- With economic development and
new construction at an all-time high in Michigan, the Automotive Industry
Action Group's (AIAG) Construction Industry Focus Group (CIFG) recently held a
Construction Skilled Trades Training Congress to discuss ways to ease the
shortage of skilled trade workers and lay the groundwork for long-term,
cooperative efforts amongst all groups involved in the construction industry.
"We are right at the front edge of the biggest construction boom we've
seen in 50 years," said Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer, Congress keynote
speaker. "And we better have our eyes wide open as we go into it."
The Congress -- which was held at DaimlerChrysler headquarters in Auburn
Hills, Mich. -- brought together more than 150 Michigan construction industry
leaders, including representatives from automakers, contractors, unions,
government agencies, academia, trade and training organizations. This was the
first time ever that owners, contractors and unions have met together on this
issue.
"The CIFG's Best Practices Work Group realized that there was a genuine
need to coordinate efforts within the skilled trades workforce of Michigan,"
said Ed Stines, industry executive on loan to the AIAG. "By holding this
Congress, we believe we have made a significant step forward in fostering
cooperative training efforts among owners, contractors and unions in order to
improve the education and skills of current and future tradesmen."
After a morning of presentations from industry executives and a keynote
address from Mayor Archer, attendees met in individual work groups to discuss
specific issues affecting skilled trades. Those issues included: workforce
composition, diversity, recruitment and retention; training and placement
programs; technology; the image of the industry; quality and continuous
improvement; and team building.
"The work groups identified the need to coordinate and market training
programs and agreed to improve collaboration and communication among owners,
contractors and unions," said Christopher P. Kittides, president and CEO of
BEI Associates Inc. and chairperson of AIAG's CIFG Best Practices Work Group.
"In addition, the Congress approved the work groups' recommendation of the
Management and Unions Serving Together (MUST) as the coordinating
organization. We hope that the many ideas generated at the Congress will help
drive the future direction of construction and skilled trades in Michigan."
The Construction Industry Focus Group was founded to establish and promote
standards and guidelines for business practices for design, engineering and
construction of world-class facilities for the automotive industry. The
group's goal is to save the auto industry a minimum of 10 percent in
construction costs each year through standards and innovation.
Founded in 1982, the AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of over
1,500 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers. Originally
recognized for its efforts to standardize electronic data interchange and bar
code standards to assist tier one suppliers, the AIAG's mission has expanded
to cover all levels of the automotive supply chain as well as to include
numerous programs and initiatives aimed at improving its members' productivity
and quality.
More information about the AIAG and its construction industry efforts can
be found at its website at http://www.aiag.org. Also, more information about MUST
can be found at its website at http://www.must.org.