Get Ready for an Onslaught of Ram 1500s in 2015

2015 Ram 1500 (Credit: Chrysler Group)

Prepare yourselves to start seeing more new Ram 1500s on the streets, because Chrysler Group has announced it is increasing production. The move involves pumping out about 100 additional units each day at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, which should supply about 28,565 trucks in a year’s time, according to a release from the automaker. Fueling the increase, of course, is a rise in customer demand. That shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the Ram 1500 was chosen as the Motor Trend Truck of the Year for 2013 and 2014.

The production increase was achieved through a process Chrysler calls Workplace Integration. Each production process was looked at closely throughout the 76-year-old factory, and changes were implemented down to each workstation. The guideline for revisions and even validations of current practices came by following the World Class Manufacturing standards Chrysler established and started implementing in the recent past. The biggest changes were instituted in the assembly line, which ultimately meant reducing waste produced during the building process.

The changes also mean that the employees are working in a safer environment and deal with more ergonomically-friendly movements. One aspect of the changes involves the parts or materials used by workers being relocated from the line side to carriers or kits that are called limos. Just that single change means that the workers don’t have to take as many steps in the production process, allowing them to assemble the pickup trucks faster without sacrificing precision.

In the end, the changes to the manufacturing process benefit consumers, Chrysler Group, and its employees.