I have been on the Chrysler team for over thirty two years. Some of those years have been better than others, but, the worst years were better than I dreamed of as young man seeking a career through which to provide for my family, retirement and blessings to share with the less fortunate around me.
There have been drastic changes in the company over the years. In earlier days, there were greater peaks in the economic cycles resulting in frequent large layoffs and staff reductions. The management leadership was more harsh and autocratic. The union leadership was angry and more adversarial. Technologies were different and less user friendly. The quality was often less than competitive. The product offering and product plans were often inadequate to compete. The engineering has always been outstanding but, in light of the other team deficiencies, was not always applied to the extent of its potential for excellence. We seemed to lack a constant vision and at times were more reactive than proactive. There were some years when I wondered if the company would continue into the next century.
Any negative concerns I felt in the past are now permanently in the past. I am thrilled with the condition of Chrysler and its prospects for the future. It is an exciting place to work because it has a vision that is shared by its team members and everyone in the organization has opportunities to share their ideas for improvement and there is an open door policy that includes everyone. No one feels shut out from having a voice and influence for the betterment of the team.
The officers of the company are focused on satisfying the customer, considering the best interests of the employees and securing the companies future against downturns in the economic cycle. In my opinion, we have the best senior officer team in industry.
The current and planned product offerings are second to none. The cars and trucks we build are exciting. The product plan for the future is unbelievably filled with exciting concepts that will thrill potential customers.
The union leadership has the vision to share in efforts to continuously improve the processes so that we can become the premier car company in the world eventually. The adversarial relationship between management and union associates has diminished. It is fun to go to work now. I look forward to each work day. It feels like a family working together with pride to assure the success and future of all its members. I am happy to take this opportunity to salute Chrysler Corporation with pride and gratitude. Dan Robling©1996