Training program lifts product reliability at NACCO Materials Handling Group : … and safeguards relationship with main dealer and customers

Purpose – Describes a training program that helped to lift product reliability at NACCO Materials Handling Group. Design/methodology/approach – Explains the reasons for the program, the form it takes and the results it has achieved. Findings – Reveals that, before the training, in-house problem-solving was not robust and problem “fixes” were not permanent. Close-out time for issues was too long, and lessons were neither being learned nor applied. Project-management skills were deficient and teams were not operating effectively. Practical implications – Details the improvements that have resulted from the training, including more-reliable products, more-skilled workers and better working practices. Originality/value – Provides the inside story of an award-winning training program.