Magna Otomotiv San. Tic. A, Plant Suadiye, Turkey

Turkey holds the position of being the 15th largest car manufacturer globally and the 5th largest in Europe. Among the key players in the global automotive supplier industry, Turkey's "Magna Otomotiv San" facility near Izmit, Kocaeli east of Istanbul stands out.

As one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers and with 65+ years of expertise, Magna partners with a diverse range of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), supplying products for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and trucks. The company operates under four main business groups, including Body Exteriors & Structures, Power & Vision, Seating Systems, and Complete Vehicles. Located in Kartepe, Kocaeli, the primary local Magna facility manufactures products for the Mechatronics, Mirrors & Lighting division within the Power & Vision group, as well as for the Exteriors division within the Body Exteriors & Structures group. The facility offers a variety of cutting-edge technologies, including plastic injection molding (Mold in color, Double-Screw), 1K and 2K bounding, Glass Encapsulation, and a variety of advanced robotics and automated assemblies. Additionally, the facility oversees three module centers responsible for final assembly near the OEMs, ensuring just-in-time (JIT) supply.

Established in 2012, the Magna Suadiye plant builds upon the foundation of Magna's robust MAFACT production system, which has undergone continuous development over the past decade. A defining characteristic of the plant is its efficient material flow, which encompasses the injection molding area, incoming goods, assembly, and outgoing goods. This system allows for easy and transparent production control, facilitated by value-added stages on the shop floor using Kanban and Heijunka methodologies.

Exemplary leadership is observed on the shop floor, with team leaders effectively managing their responsibilities within an optimally designed leadership span. These leaders undergo annual retraining in 19 different hard and soft skills, ensuring they remain well-equipped to execute their roles diligently. Furthermore, managers at all hierarchical levels adhere to defined standard work processes, resulting in a system that operates like a Swiss watch.

Problems that remain unresolved by the team leader within 24 hours are brought up in the Daily Fast Response Meeting. This meeting serves as a platform for both production and indirect areas, located in a dedicated area within the production facility. The office functions as a control center for the entire plant with the aid of a digital solution. It enables efficient communication and swift decision-making by digitally preparing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), visualizing escalated faults and problems, and providing an overview of ongoing measures' progress. The agenda of the Daily Fast Response Meeting is dynamically designed based on the scorecard, focusing on deviations to maximize effectiveness.

The jury particularly recognized the Digital Layer Process Audit in addition to the strong shop floor management. It establishes clear regulations for audit frequencies across different hierarchical levels, and the content is regularly updated to remain relevant. A well-designed cross-audit system, facilitated by an IT tool, randomly assigns auditors to various audit topics and production areas, ensuring adherence to standards. Audits are conducted on mobile devices, and measures automatically result from identified deviations, which only the auditor can validate once corrected. This initiates a continuous improvement loop, guaranteeing effectiveness.

A wide array of IT solutions, including KPIs preparation, process documentation, first part release, document filing system, process control, OEE loss recording, maintenance orders, and more, contribute to a seamless and transparent workflow, minimizing effort.

The factory has achieved certification as a "Great Place to Work®" and received recognition in its category. Furthermore, it was honored with an award for Social Responsibility & Voluntary efforts. These accolades are evident in the exceptional employee turnover rates, with only 1% turnover for direct employees and 2% for indirect employees. The plant is actively engaged in reducing its CO2 emissions and is on track to achieve carbon neutrality during 2024, thanks to the installation of solar panels.

Another notable achievement is the outstanding delivery performance of suppliers, allowing the plant to maintain relatively low levels of purchased part stocks despite its high assembly volume and JIT supply. Key success factors include localizing purchasing at the site, implementing efficient production control methods, establishing strong connections with suppliers, utilizing advanced shipping notes (ASN) extensively, and designing an optimized footprint.

In addition to the numerous OEM and industry awards, the number of new projects serves as a testament to the excellent work carried out at the location, facilitating the continuous growth of Magna Turkey. Currently, another module center is under construction, which will support an additional OEM plant through JIT.

With the support of a global, entrepreneurial-minded team of over 171,000 employees and an organizational structure designed to innovate like a startup, Mr. Samir Deliormanli and other local leaders and employees have consistently and successfully delivered operational excellence for their customers across the Mechatronics, Mirrors & Lighting and Exteriors divisions since 2012. The jury is confident that the Suadiye plant will excel in effectively managing numerous new start-ups. Looking ahead, the jury anticipates the emergence of further best practices in digitalization, such as the digital Team Leader SFM Board, energy management, and maintenance machine dashboards (currently in the pilot phase).

The "Magna Otomotiv San" site in Suadiye deserves to be awarded Automotive Lean Production Award in the "Part Supplier" category for the year 2023.