Three projects completed for a Stanford graduate course by employees in the General Motors de México (GMM) Toluca Regional Engineering Center saved the company many millions of U.S. dollars this year. The projects were for Stanford's ME317: Design for Manufacturability (dfM), a world-renowned graduate course taught by Kos Ishii, Professor of Mechanical Engineering. The employees, all practicing engineers, completed the course at work, via the Stanford Center for Professional Development's (SCPD) distance delivery systems. Applied Knowledge: a Plan for Success "The automotive industry is more and more competitive," states Bill Beaumont, Chief Engineer at the Toluca site. "Customer expectations and competition are increasing, price increases are almost non-existent, while sales incentives get larger. The only way to improve profitability is to reduce costs in every area. To do this we must be in a continual learning and improvement cycle, and at GMM we focus on doing more with less by applying education and learning to all our processes."

Eduardo Pichardo, an experienced engineer at GMM, completed dfM and has been both a moderator and mentor for the course. "When you combine years of experience with the knowledge provided by dfM," he says, "you really can change the course of product development. I learned to ask the right questions and to provide the right mentoring at the right time-acting ahead of time, instead of reacting to undesired effects that are a direct consequence of poor planning. Coaching younger engineers, I am constantly reminded of our duties to them, the company and society. My experience with Stanford has had no match, and I have been involved with different faculties in at least eight universities, both in Mexico and the US."

The engineers responsible for the three projects cited--Gustavo Lopez, Aldo Maya, Jose Luis Fajardo and Hector Perez--received GM's President's Award for their achievement. "This course helps our design activities by guiding our efforts to find suitable product development solutions," states Maya. "We learned to incorporate the voice of customers in the product as well as the manufacturability features needed," All agree that the ability to immediately transfer theory and tools from dfM to their work at GMM was a major asset of the course. Long-term Commitment, Long-term Growth "Over the last five years, we have grown significantly in size and capability," says Beaumont. "This has meant employing a significant number of new engineers - many of whom have come straight out of universities in México. To support this growth, training and mentoring has been, and will continue to be, a key focus within the Engineering Center. Our engineers continue their education through distance learning programs with key universities, while meeting the demands of their jobs. GMM pays for this and intends to continue doing so."

GMM began its Technical Education Program in 1996, offering over one hundred engineers the opportunity to earn advance degrees via distance learning. Many have taken dfM as part of their masters degree program. In fact, since 1998, ninety-three engineers at the Toluca plant have completed dfM through SCPD. More student dfM projects are being implemented this year.

When asked about GMM's plans to continue enrolling engineers for the course, Beaumont is emphatic. "As a part of the course, engineers work on real life projects which create very significant savings. Right from enrollment, the course creates benefits for the corporation. Bottom line? You bet we intend to keep enrolling people in this course."