The Unobvious Ones is a month-to-month have a look at movers and shakers who fly under the radar within the Canadian auto trade.

CRAIG COUCH

READING THE CRYSTAL BALL

4 to 5 years forward of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are scorching sellers north and south of the border, however the markets are completely different, as are a few of the rules.

Craig Sofa, product supervisor of full-size pickups and business/fleet operations at Common Motors Canada, prioritizes allotment on this nation.

“I analyze buyer wants and historical past of what we’ve offered previously, and the way I feel the market will change,” he mentioned. Sofa determines what number of pickups he’ll must requisition from factories 4 to 5 years forward, “and I want this variety of them to be crew cab, this quantity common cab, and diesel or [gasoline]. The phase has so many variables.”

Sofa works primarily with planning groups in the USA, and “my complete day is conferences.”

Along with mannequin variants, he additionally should be sure that Canadian car necessities are taken into consideration, reminiscent of distinctive technical specs and heaters that sufficiently heat the rear cabin.

“Police within the U.S. can flip off their daytime operating lights however that’s not allowed in Canada, so I’ve to inform the manufacturing unit we will’t have that.”

Sofa, 57, grew to become a mechanical engineer by means of a GM program, working on the firm’s Oshawa plant and going to high school on the Common Motors Institute (now Kettering College) in Michigan. He held numerous roles in all of GM’s Oshawa services, from metallic forming to high quality evaluation, earlier than taking his present place 15 years in the past.

“I’m defining the way forward for Canadian product availability, the volumes and packaging and worth proposition. I perceive how a car is constructed, tips on how to repair an issue, and the tradeoffs you must make. The most effective time for a product resolution 4 years from now could be immediately, as a result of it’s less expensive than a change on the final minute.”

IOAN BUZDUGAN

MAKING THINGS BETTER ‘OVER AND OVER’ AGAIN

Auto manufacturing must be environment friendly and protected. These two priorities fall on Ioan Buzdugan at Honda Canada Manufacturing in Alliston, Ont., 100 kilometres north of Toronto, the place he’s the engineering lead and tools security lead.

“My first duty is to enhance and streamline engineering within the plant, figuring out the perfect programs and processes and supporting them to achieve success. Then I give route and help on tools security. I additionally assist recruit engineering interns and new hires, serving to them get coaching and educating them to research advanced issues and give you options.”

The vegetation have quite a few departments and tons of of engineers, and whereas Buzdugan often walks the manufacturing unit ground, “I’m just one individual and I can solely see a lot.”

Representatives from the departments come to him with considerations, “and I assist them determine the problems. If I see a greater solution to do one thing, or one other division does it a unique method, I’ll assist modify the process or discover somebody who can.”

Buzdugan, 37, studied electrical engineering on the College of Toronto, interned at Honda throughout his final two years and joined the corporate in 2008.

His job was putting in new tools and processes for mannequin adjustments or meeting line updates. “I appreciated tools security and that led to turning into lead security two years in the past, and I’ve been engineering lead for a yr.”

Buzdugan credit his communication expertise for his success.

“An enormous a part of my job is bringing folks to consensus, and I’m capable of hearken to folks they usually really feel their considerations are heard. I’ve realized folks expertise, tips on how to take care of somebody who has performed that job for 30 years and clarify why [changes are being made]. It’s a steady enchancment mindset. You make one thing higher, and then you definitely maintain making it even higher time and again.”