Navistar focused on efficiency in Springfield plant

Navistar’s Springfield plant is focusing on making its manufacturing processes more efficient and identifying problems earlier to improve the quality of its vehicles.

The company has invested millions in new equipment in Springfield over the past several years to revamp the interior of the facility and streamline its manufacturing processes, said Mark Hernandez, the company’s vice president of global manufacturing. Hernandez has been with Navistar since April after a stint with McKinsey and Company where he was also tasked with leading lean manufacturing efforts for that firm.

The truck maker’s competitors got a head start on streamlining their manufacturing process as Navistar struggled with an engine technology for heavy-duty trucks that failed to meet emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. But he said Navistar has made major strides in the past few years, and one of the reasons he took the job is the company is on the right track to make even bigger improvements.

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