The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) plant in Goiana, Pernambuco, will now be led by a woman, Pernambucan engineer Juliana Coelho, at just 31 years old. According to the automaker, this is the first time the position has been held by a woman in Latin America.
Juliana replaces Pierluigi Astorino, who left the position of Plant Manager of the Jeep factory to take on the role of Latam Manufacturing Director. In turn, Astorino, 38, takes over from fellow Italian Francesco Ciancia, who is returning to Italy with the mission of leading the manufacturing of the Maserati and Alfa Romeo brands.
With the change, the Jeep Automotive Plant in Goiana (Pernambuco) will now be led by Juliana Coelho. The engineer assumes the position of Plant Manager of one of FCA's most modern factories in the world. “I am happy to begin this new cycle at FCA; it's a challenge, and I like challenges,” says the Pernambuco native, who began her career in the automotive market within the group.
Juliana began her career in 2013 as a Paint Process Specialist, undergoing training at FCA plants in Italy and Serbia. She was part of the initial team of employees at the Jeep Automotive Plant and has since built an upward career. She has held the positions of Paint Supervisor and Manager and Assembly Manager at Jeep, in addition to heading the VLM area, which is responsible for new manufacturing developments in LATAM at the Fiat Automotive Plant in Betim (Minas Gerais). “I grew up with the Jeep DNA, and this experience in Vehicle Line Manufacturing LATAM gave me the opportunity to better understand the Latin America region and acquire valuable background for this new stage.”.
Wherever she has been, according to the FCA statement, Juliana Coelho has stood out for her technical knowledge and leadership skills. Now, she will continue the work of further perfecting Jeep's production, which in 2019 earned the World Class Manufacturing Silver certification, becoming the plant that reached this level in the shortest operating time in Latin America. “The Jeep Automotive Hub comes from an important cycle of improvement in quality excellence. We will continue to evolve, placing emphasis on product development, continuous process improvement, and investing in our people, undoubtedly one of Jeep's main differentiators.”.
Pierluigi Astorino – An Italian, Pierluigi Astorino began his career at the FCA Group in 2006 at the Mirafiori plant in Italy. He stood out as International Projects Leader, developing projects at the group's plants across four regions of the globe. With this expertise, he was selected to join the Pernambuco Project team, being one of those responsible for the implementation and initial operation of the Jeep plant in Brazil for three years. Following this experience, he was responsible for FCA's Manufacturing Engineering in Latin America, and in 2018 he returned to Pernambuco, this time to hold the position of Plant Manager.
Now, Astorino takes over the leadership of Latam Manufacturing with the mission of driving a new cycle that involves new versions of well-established models and the launch of unprecedented products from Jeep and Fiat. “The big challenge is to continue on the path of developing our talents, believing in the potential of our team, and expanding manufacturing excellence to all plants in Latin America,” he states. The goal is to focus on training, new technologies, and new standards, expanding the high level of production excellence in the region. “We will aim for the Gold seal in World Class Manufacturing,” he highlights, referring to WCM, the world-class manufacturing system adopted in all FCA plants worldwide.
SOURCE:
BRAZIL MACHINING
