QMR of the Month Trip Special Edition TechTIPS – Subaru 2019

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Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newsletter
01 THE FIRST ANNUAL NATIONAL QMR OF THE MONTH QUARTERLY AWARD TRIP TO INDIANA
The first annual National QMR of the Month Quarterly Award Trip to Indiana has concluded! SOA would
like to thank winners William Ertl from Wilsonville Subaru, Jeremy Hughes from Subaru of Spokane,
Daniel Anderson from Stohlman Subaru, and Corey Repoza from Herb Gordon Subaru for their winning
QMRs and dedication to the Subaru brand.
The winners from across the country were flown into Indianapolis airport on Thursday May 30th and
accommodations were made at a local hotel in Lafayette. Upon check-in, each Technician received a
welcoming bag of SWAG items as part of their experience.
That evening, all four quarterly winners gathered at Mountain Jack’s restaurant for a welcoming dinner
with SOA representatives. More than a few took advantage of some of the best prime rib steak served
in the area!
Picture above of the four quarterly winners at their Mountain Jack’s welcoming dinner.
Left to Right: William Ertl, Jeremy Hughes, Daniel Anderson, Corey Repoza.
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SPECIAL EDITION
The Subaru TechTIPS newsletter is intended for use by professional Technicians ONLY. Articles are
written to inform those Technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to provide
information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained Technicians
have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly and safely.
If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that your vehicle has or will have that condition.
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The next morning, it was an early start at the SIA manufacturing plant. The group arrived at the plant at
7:30am for the required safety training before beginning their tour.
Picture above of the four quarterly winners in front of Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
Left to Right: Corey Repoza, Jeremy Hughes, Daniel Anderson, William Ertl.
The group was given an “all access pass” around the SIA plant hosted by SIA Quality Engineering’s own
Fred Colbert. The group received an in-depth look into all the various departments within SIA.
Left picture: Inside SIA at the Stamping process. Right picture: Inside SIA where Body in white (BIW) get ready for paint.
The tour began with the giant stamping press machines creating body panels. The panels turn into
assembled “white” bodies before moving on to be painted.
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Left picture: Inside SIA at Trim process. Right Picture: Engine testing at the dyno inside SIA.
The group was able to get a bird’s eye view of the assembly process for the various trim pieces for
our vehicles. Everyone was also able to attend a hands-on review of the engine dyno testing. The
Technicians were given a complete walkthrough of the vehicle assembly and the quality control that
goes into the entire process. SIA also gave them a great deal of information about the history of the
plant from how the line previously operated to what it has become today to meet the ever-increasing
expectations of our customers.
Quote from the Winner’s Circle
“The trip was an eye-opening experience. To
see the factory and the inner workings on how
a vehicle is made for Subaru was fantastic.”
Corey Repoza, Herb Gordon Subaru
2018 QMR of the Month Fourth Quarter winner
At the conclusion of the tour, the group was
given the opportunity to sit down with the VP
of Manufacturing, Ed Wulbrecht. Ed spoke
about everything from SIA history, the plant’s
continued dedication to quality, production
capacity reasons why the plant has the
capacity it does, how QMRs influence their
quality within the plant and how Technician’s
QMRs provide value. SIA’s environmental
impact as a company was also reviewed. Ed
then went on to answer several questions
brought up by the Technicians.
Picture above of Ed Wulbrecht, SIA VP of Manufacturing,
discussing with the group SIA’s history and answering questions.
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The group had the opportunity to continue conversations with SIA’s Fred Colbert for more information on
the inner workings of the plant during lunch at the SIA cafeteria. The menu was filled with a plethora of
meal choices including Papa John’s pizza, Subway sandwiches & wraps, fresh grilled burgers and fries,
and even Japanese cuisine if they chose.
Quote from the Winner’s Circle
“I’ve got new found respect for the QMR system.
Hearing about them being so important is one
thing, but actually seeing how serious everyone is
about them really drives home their importance.
Positive and real change from the top down, in
understanding what we are dealing with in the shop
all the way to production changes on the assembly
line.”
Jeremy Hughes, Subaru of Spokane
2018 QMR of the Month Second Quarter winner
After lunch, the group drove down to Speedway, IN (a “suburb” within the City of Indianapolis) and
entered the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The group was met by a tour guide who took the
group through the Speedway Museum providing detailed insights into the history of the facility starting
in the 1910s through 2010s. The guide covered the differences in racing eras for the Speedway: front
engine vs. rear engine, turbo-charged vs. naturally-aspirated, Gasoline vs. methanol periods, and the
tumultuous CART vs. INDY CAR dispute.
Left picture: IMS guided museum tour. Right Picture: Pace car for the Indy 500.
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Next, the group was whisked off on a private golf cart tour of the 2.5 mile oval and the 2.49 mile Grand
Prix tracks. The tour had various stops along the way which included the Brickyard Crossing golf course
of which 4 of the 18 holes reside inside the track, Gasoline Alley, the Winner’s Circle, the media & time
keeping control rooms within the Pagoda, and concluded with the Technicians lining up on the Yard of
Bricks for a keepsake “kiss the bricks” photo shoot.
Left picture: Out on the IMS golf course on a nice sunny day!
Right Picture: The four winners seeing what it is like to be a commentator for the Indy 500 event.
Quote from the Winner’s Circle
“The SIA plant tour was excellent I could spend
days in there just watching every step. The
reception myself and the others got from SIA and
SOA was top notch and the dinners and the IMS
VIP tour was great, I really felt the red carpet was
out for us. This was a great experience and felt
honored to able to participate.”
Daniel Anderson, Stohlman Subaru
2018 QMR of the Month Third Quarter winner
Picture above of the quarterly winners kissing the bricks. Left to Right: Jeremy Hughes,
William Ertl, Daniel Anderson, Corey Repoza.
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Following the Speedway festivities, the group headed to their hotel next to the Indianapolis airport to
change into their evening attire then headed to downtown Indianapolis for dinner at one of the city’s
finest restaurants, St. Elmo Steakhouse. All the Technicians enjoyed several servings of St. Elmo’s
world-famous shrimp cocktail appetizers followed by some of the most tender, dry aged beef steaks
available in the Country.
Picture above in front of the prestigious St. Elmo Steak House in downtown Indianapolis.
Left to Right: Daniel Anderson, Jeremy Hughes, William Ertl, Corey Repoza.
Quote from the Winner’s Circle
“The whole trip was a great experience. The factory
tour was awesome and the dinner at St. Elmo was
outstanding. Everyone was great.”
William Ertl, Wilsonville Subaru
2018 QMR of the Month First Quarter winner
All in all, it was a highly successful initial award trip for the four 2018 quarterly QMR of the Month
winners. We enjoyed hosting William, Jeremy, Dan, and Corey and look forward to hosting the 2019
quarterly winners in the Spring of 2020. We wish all of our Subaru Technicians the best of luck and look
forward to meeting next year’s quarterly winners!
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