Chris Harris

Quality Manager of Cleveland Truck Plant

Process Maven

Years with the company: 16.

Number of positions held: 4.

What do you do?

I'm responsible for overseeing that everything from the parts that come into our plant are of the highest quality and are built to our customers' specifications, to our in-line process, functional quality control and finally, our customer's quality control. We audit our internal processes and our customers' satisfaction. I'm also responsible for assessing any customer issues with quality control, then bringing that feedback into the shop to improve our processes. We operate on a Shop Floor Management process, so we can evaluate different levels of quality and put feedback loops in place to return that information to the teams. Our process initiates problem solving. We continue to develop systems to manage these different processes.

What's your favorite part of working here?

I get to see such a big part of the truck building process, interacting with suppliers, shop employees and customers; corporate engineers and corporate quality specialists. I see such a large part of our operations. I have the privilege of working toward product quality and meeting our customers' expectations. As an engineer, I like to find and solve problems. I'm intrigued and challenged by problem solving, then getting solutions in place to resolve the issues.

How are you innovating?

My department is continually looking to utilize the Truck Operating System (TOS). Our Shop Floor Management System tells us what's going on and provides us with the practical problem solving tools to resolve the problems. We're a leader in finding new ways to innovate on the quality side of the shop using the system and optimizing the tools correctly within the plant. We have a five-year vision for quality. We examine our Tactical Implementation Plan each year to see how we're meeting our Blue Sky vision. We lay out what we want to do in the plant to continuously improve to meet our five-year vision. My department leads these activities to see what we do today and to make it better.

Why would you recommend Daimler Trucks North America?

I've always found it very fulfilling to see a product come together—especially a very complex one like a truck. I love being part of that process and seeing it physically leave the plant. Unlike the automobile industry, we have a great deal of customer interaction at the plant. Not only do I, but many of my shop team members interact directly with our customers. When you work for Daimler Trucks North America, you're not only working for the largest truck manufacturer in North America with great benefits and wages, you're also getting to build something, then see the product being used. There aren't a lot of jobs that you get to do that in manufacturing. I also like that I've been able to move through the company into different areas. Daimler Trucks North America promotes diversity in what you do.

What do you do outside of work?

I have three children, so most of my time revolves around my family. I'm involved with recreational ball clubs, like football, basketball, baseball. I play golf. My wife and I like to visit new areas, so we plan our vacations to new places.