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Quality Is Everything
QUALITY QUARTERLY
A D E ALE R PUBLICATION FROM THE FREIGHTLINER GROUP
3RD QUARTER 2005
S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T, E N G I N E E R I N G A N D T E C H N O L O G Y
VO L . 3
ISSUE NO. 3
M E S S AG E FR O M TH E Q UALIT Y C H I E F
Boeckenhoff New Head
of Freightliner LLC’s
Product Engineering
Designing for
Quality and
Reliability
Elmar Boeckenhoff began his new job as senior vice president of engineering
When drivers take the wheel of a Freightliner, Sterling or
Western Star truck, they are doing more than operating a
vehicle and doing their jobs. They are driving a collection of
proven ideas.
Historically, many of the ideas behind our trucks come
from suggestions made by the customers who drive them
and the technicians who service them. It’s been that way
since Freightliner started up more than a half-century ago.
But these ideas must be transformed into practical and
proven applications by the engineers who design, prototype
and test the trucks. The role of the engineer is therefore
critical to the success of Freightliner LLC and the dealers
who represent us.
In this issue of the Quality Quarterly we are pleased to
introduce Elmar Boeckenhoff, the new Senior Vice President
of Engineering and Technology for Freightliner LLC. Elmar’s
commitments to safety and reliability are exceeded only
by his high regard for product quality, as demonstrated
in his more than 15 years with DaimlerChrysler and its
predecessor, Daimler-Benz. In our profile of Elmar, he gives
dealers a hint of what to expect in terms of product quality
in the future. He also discusses how his background as a
physicist and an engineer prepared him to be Freightliner’s
chief engineer.
Another article has to do with Freightliner’s new System
Integration Engineering department, a byproduct of our Total
Business Excellence initiative. SIE engineers are building
on the progress we’ve made in standardizing our routing
schemes for chassis wiring and airline plumbing. The SIE
group reviews new designs to eliminate manufacturability
conflicts. In the process, we will improve our quality and
save some money by doing it right the first time.
We also have a story about how Freightliner staff
employed our Quality Action Team process to improve the
fit and finish of cab interiors for Freightliner’s Business
Class M2 product line. We’ve brought new processes, new
materials and new thinking to resolve the problems. We
also engineered the interior for better looks and longerlasting performance. If that’s not a quality improvement, tell
me what is!
In the Quick Tips department, you will find a handy
phone number for technicians to call when they just can’t
find the information they need. When all else fails, dial
up Freightliner LLC’s Technical Service Support Hot Line at
503.745.7769. It’s a toll call, but it might save you time and
money. We also have an update on the approved detection
methods for finding those hard-to-locate leaks in a truck’s
air conditioning system.
These are the everyday examples of how seriously we
take our commitment to quality and to the customers who
purchase Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star trucks.
and technology for Freightliner LLC in June and spent his summer getting
to know “the people, the processes, products and the landscape” at his
new company. A veteran engineer and physicist, Boeckenhoff brings to
the job his doctorate in physics and 19 years of engineering know-how.
After working in electronic design for a French company,
Elmar started at Daimler-Benz 15 years ago as the technical
assistant to a Member of the Board of Management for
engineering. In that position he got to know Michael
von Mayenburg, whom he would eventually succeed as
Freightliner’s chief engineer. Later he headed the numerical
analysis department for commercial vehicles in Stuttgart,
using computer-aided design to fine-tune worldwide
truck and van projects, including some of Freightliner’s.
Five years later he got to head the testing department
for the Mercedes-Benz Vans business unit, which involved
him in the development of three new vans and two market
~ Elmar Boeckenhoff is Freightliner LLC’s senior vice
president of engineering and technology.
launches. “That was a great experience for an engineer, to bring
a new product into the market,” he said. “It’s the difference
between doing engineering on the computer and seeing the
product coming down the street. That’s a great moment.”
Boeckenhoff sees more great moments down the road
for Freightliner LLC’s brands. “We have a lot of things on
our table. We’re working on a variety of projects, including
current products to fill our customers’ needs.” The engineering
staff is working on a styling update of the Sterling product
line, a new low cab-over-engine truck for Sterling, various
Western Star projects and the next generation of on-highway
Class 8 trucks for Freightliner, which
Continued on Page 2 »
S Y S T E M I N T E G R AT I O N E N G I N E E R I N G
FOR QQ
Putting it All Together
Freightliner LLC’s engineering group established its new System Integration Engineering (SIE) department in June to help
ensure that engineers generate designs that can be built in the plant and serviced in the field without major complications.
and production will be
The primary goal is
instrumental in achieving
“integrating common design
our objectives.”
approaches” for installing
SIE is one result of the
flexible components on the
Total
Business Excellence
vehicle chassis, said Mike
initiative
under way at
Pranger, manager of System
Freightliner
since 2002. The
Integration Engineering. “As
SIE
function
is expected
an integral member of the
to
help
the
company
meet
development process, we
key
quality
improvement
collaborate with our peers in
goals outlined by the TBE
engineering and production to
process, including the
optimize designs for highest
need to design vehicles
quality and manufacturability,”
for manufacturability and
Pranger said.
assembly—DFMA
in
Pranger, his four staff
~ Manager Mike Pranger (second from left behind chassis) heads up Freightliner LLC’s
new
System
Integration
Engineering
department.
His
management
team
gathers
around
members and twenty
TBE parlance.
a chassis mock-up and its plumbing.
engineers are housed with the
“We are working on all
Manufacturing Engineering (ME) group at Freightliner’s Portland of the chassis and its interface with the cab,” Pranger said.
Wishing you all the best.
headquarters “to help drive home the point that we need to
The interface involves how chassis components – the wiring
design things that we can build.”
harnesses, cables, fuel and brake lines and the coolant and
Paul Romanaggi
That’s not as simple as it sounds, however, since so many
refrigerant hoses – connect to the truck’s cab.
General Manager Quality
engineers work on different areas of a vehicle. One new idea
The new group is also challenged to help designers “manage
Freightliner LLC, 503.745.6714
can conflict with another, unless engineers coordinate.
for maximum complexity” as vehicles evolve over time.
The new department reports to Cary Gatzke, director of
engineering for Western Star trucks, which already utilizes
virtual images with color schematics instead of ink-onpaper drawings to instruct production workers on assembly
procedures. The images are photographs or generated by
computer and viewed on monitors at work stations in each
To help ensure that new designs can be built without unexpected complications, the Manufacturing Engineering
assembly area.
group opened the Freightliner LLC Manufacturing Development Center, a 22,000-square-foot facility near
“Our intent is to develop efficient processes and tools to help
the Portland Truck Plant in October. It is operated in cooperation with the SIE department.
resolve space conflicts and integrate routing and clipping in
Soon the center will house partial and full-size mockups of new chassis and their cabs for review by managers, engineers
congested areas of the chassis,” Gatzke said. “Collaboration
and plant personnel “to assist with the design development process as it matures from concept to final
Continued on Page 2 »
among design, manufacturing engineering, test engineering
‡ New Design Development Facility in Portland
QUALITY QUARTERLY
C O NTI N U O U S P R O D U C T I M P R OV E M E NT
S E N I O R V I C E P R E S I D E N T. . .
Interior Redecoration
for Business Class M2
Product Engineering
Continued from Page 1 »
Freightliner’s M2 Business Class product line brought a new level of durability and versatility to the medium-duty truck
market when Freightliner debuted the trucks in late 2002. But as production at the Mount Holly Truck Plant ramped up in
2003 and additional models were introduced, dealers began
noticing minor but annoying fit-and-finish issues—small gaps
in the material that covers the A-pillar where it meets the door
sill or grab handle, or an occasional wrinkle in the headliner.
Expectations had been raised because
the M2 introduced a general upgrade
in medium-duty truck design as the
successor to the original Business Class.
Roger Nielsen, Freightliner LLC’s chief
operating officer, quickly developed a list
of action items for engineering review.
“There were no failed parts or
warranty claims, just a somewhat
unfinished look in several cab areas,”
explained Ted Holt, project engineer
and leader of the Quality Action Team
that tackled the problem starting
in March 2004. “There were more
complaints from dealers than anybody.
This was largely a subjective deal.”
The team identified 20 issues for
resolution, drawing on the input of
Freightliner’s quality assurance, field
service and manufacturing staff,
including Mount Holly Technical
Resource Trainer Butch Patterson
and Truck Assembler Randy Brooks.
About half of the issues, the ones
that were simple to diagnose, were
resolved in Wave 1 of the M2 interior
changeover, some as soon as late April
2004. The plant put the changes into
production as each item was resolved.
“The low-hanging fruit had the biggest
impact,” said Holt, who works in
Freightliner’s body engineering group
in Portland. “Some
of them weren’t that
easy to fix, but they
obviously needed
to be done.”
The floor mat
supplier for
extended cab
models, for example,
~ Project Engineer Ted Holt headed the Quality Action Team that further refined the
was instructed
cab interiors for Freightliner Trucks’ Business Class M2 product line.
to drill smaller,
25-millimeter holes for the seat
than having a tool made only to find
belts to run through, closing up a
out it doesn’t work,” Holt said.
10-millimeter gap. The B-pillar cover
For Wave 2 items, engineers identified
was redesigned with more clearance
new materials, designs or processes for
around the seat belt reel so the cover
suppliers to use. Stiffer and stronger
wouldn’t interfere with belt operation.
materials were specified for the
Grab handles were redesigned.
headliner and the rear wall of the day
For some of the tougher items on the
cab, for example. About half of the
Wave 2 list, engineers relied on rapid
Wave 2 items have been checked off
prototype technology to produce try-out
the list, and Holt expects the balance
parts made of plastic resin to check the
to be in production by early 2006.
fit and operation. The supplier used
As a bonus, the Quality Action Team’s
stereo-lithography (SLA) to produce
solutions saved Freightliner some
the plastic models in hours, employing
money while enhancing the product. “In
dimensional data directly from engineers’ most cases, we were able to pull costs
computer-aided design (CAD) files.
out at the same time we improved
The same SLA prototyping technology
quality,” Holt confirmed. And if new
is being used for Freightliner LLC’s
tooling or design hours were required,
next-generation vehicles, avoiding the
Nielsen’s steering committee was quick
time and expense of building tooling
to approve it. “The payback was quick.
to stamp out a new part. “It’s cheaper
It was a pretty easy sell,” Holt said.
Q U I C K TI P S
Hotline for Technical Support
Who Do You Call?
Technicians at Freightliner
Trucks, Sterling and Western
Star dealerships in the
United States and Canada
now have a Technical
Service Support Hotline
to call when they need
assistance in resolving hardto-diagnose service issues.
The new hotline went into
service over the summer and
is now available to every
dealership, indicated Ken
Pyne, manager of technical
service for Freightliner LLC.
Technicians can reach a
service technical specialist at
Freightliner’s headquarters
in Portland by calling
503.745.7769. Phone
prompts give callers options
for questions regarding
Freightliner, Sterling or
Western Star trucks.
The technical support
hotline is designed to help
service personnel resolve
technical issues when the
technician cannot find
the answer in the usual
resources—in drivers’
manuals, maintenance
manuals and service manuals,
service bulletins or online
through the company’s
Service Solutions ServiceLink
at the AccessFreightliner.
com Web site.
The hotline also can
help with wiring issues not
identified by the PartsPro
EZ Wiring electronic catalog.
Vehicle modifications that
require courtesy engineering
resources should still be
submitted to the dealer’s
Freightliner LLC District
Service Manager. For more
information, dealers can
contact the hotline directly
or get in touch with their
district service manager.
N E W S YO U C AN U S E
Finding A/C Refrigerant Leaks
There are a lot of methods for
finding refrigerant leaks in a truck’s
air conditioning system, but only
two—electronic detection or the
ultraviolet light-dye method—are
approved by Freightliner LLC.
Freightliner’s recommendations for
specific makes and models of detectors
can be found in service bulletins and
workshop manuals. Training modules are
available through the AccessFreightliner.
com Web site. “Not all detectors are
equal,” said Steve Ellison, director of
field service for Freightliner Trucks.
Electronic detection is the only
approved method for finding front
compressor seal leaks. The ultraviolet
dye method is the only way to find
passive leaks that occur only in certain
conditions elsewhere in the AC system.
Use of the right detection method
can make the difference between a
profitable repair and a costly shop
comeback, according to Freightliner’s
customer support team.
For a complete discussion of
recommended detection methods,
refer to the field service newsletters
published for Freightliner Trucks,
Sterling and Western. Or visit
www.AccessFreightliner.com.
are already in prototype testing.
But “the ultimate challenge on the product side” involves
the introduction of low-emission diesel engines mandated
for 2007 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“It’s our No. 1 priority. We have to do that on time, and we
will do it with very high quality,” he declared. “We are
putting in an unprecedented amount of design and testing
hours to ensure our EPA ’07 compliant trucks will perform
at the high level our customers have grown to expect.”
Boeckenhoff manages his 730-person engineering
group with a combination of delegation and handson work. “You cannot do a job like this without
delegating. But I should admit, being a physicist and
having the heart of an engineer, I really like to dive
into the technical details from time to time.”
Building on his background in design and analysis,
Boeckenhoff wants to concentrate on the quality,
reliability and safety of the company’s vehicles. “My
personal focus is to increase the reliability and
durability of our products. That’s where I think
we can step forward and make a difference.”
Boeckenhoff sees major opportunities ahead for
Freightliner’s engineers, particularly in working with
other DaimlerChrysler engineering groups. “That’s the big
competitive advantage we have,” he said. Collaborating
with engineers in other countries “is a challenge and
an opportunity on the same page. It’s not that easy. But
we’ve already joined competencies and capacities
to work on common initiatives together, and we will
continue to leverage our scale to benefit our customers.”
The basic opportunity is for Freightliner to use its design
talents and engineering tools to improve product quality,
he suggested. “We will always strive to continuously
improve the quality of our work and processes. I am
personally committed to the concept of continuous
improvement. There’s no way to think you ever end it.”
Design Development Facility
Continued from Page 1 »
production,” said Mike
Pranger, manager of System Integration Engineering.
The center’s first assignment involves the next-generation
on-highway vehicles that engineers are fine-tuning to
comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
2007 emission requirements for new diesel engines. Some
20 mockups of EPA-compliant chassis are being built there.
A mockup instantly helps staff visualize design conflicts,
such as a call-out for a battery cable that cannot fit in
its assigned space, or a fuel fitting that can’t be easily
accessed for service. “If we do it right from mockup to
production, the process will improve,” Pranger said.
“A picture is worth a thousand words, but a real thing is
worth one thousand pictures,” observed John Beeson, a
manufacturing engineering manager. He serves as the ME
liaison to the SIE department and was instrumental in a TBE
demonstration project that redesigned the plumbing and
airing layout for the Business Class M2 earlier in the year.
The Business Class M2 routing and clipping demonstration
that Beeson’s TBE team led at the Mount Holly Truck Plant
was a convincing argument for utilizing mockups. “The
pivotal moment was when we took the ideas and mocked
them up on the chassis.” (See the Quality Quarterly’s second
quarter 2005 edition for a discussion of the M2 project.)
The development center’s work will be especially
useful when a plant starts manufacturing the pre-series
units prior to a full production launch. Mockups will
be stationed at the plants so employees can refer to
them during their pre-series work. There will also be
photographs of how to lay out the hoses and wiring.
“Engineers start out with ideas, but before the drawings
are final you need to see the idea physically,” Beeson
related. “As strong as our computer-aided design tools
are, they have limits, most notably in designing for flexible
components” such as air hoses and wiring harnesses,
which tend to stiffen when bundled together on a chassis.
?
Got a quality question?
E-mail us at
qualityiseverything@freightliner.com
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