2. FIRST NAME : MARIO
SURNAME : VANNUCCHI
DATE OF BIRTH : 11 APRIL 1965
IDENTITY NUMBER : 650411 5027 083
COUNTRY OF BIRTH : SOUTH AFRICA
CITIZENSHIP : SOUTH AFRICAN
LANGUAGES : ENGLISH/AFRIKAANS/ITALIAN
(Fully bilingual)
MARITAL STATUS : MARRIED
WORK ADDRESS : FIAT GROUP AUTOMOBILES
SOUTH AFRICA
CRIMINAL OFFENCES : NONE
INTERESTS : Health & fitness, Motor vehicles,
Formulae-One motor racing
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3. 1. SCHOOL ATTENDED : Pretoria Technical High School
HIGHEST STANDARD PASSED : Matric (1983)
SUBJECTS PASSED : English, Afrikaans, Mathematics,
Science, Technical Drawing, Electrical Science.
2. FURTHER QUALIFICATIONS
POST GRADUATE EDUCATION : Pretoria Technicon
DIRECTION OF STUDY : Mechanical Engineering
QUALIFICATION : Masters Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
QUALIFIED AS : Mechanical Engineering Technologist
SUBJECTS PASSED : T1 Engineering Mathematics
Engineering Mechanics
Machine Drawings
Motor Vehicle Engineering
Communication
Electrical Engineering
T2 Engineering Mathematics
Machine Design
Strength of Materials
Motor Vehicle Engineering
Applied Thermodynamics
Fluid Mechanics
T3 Engineering Mathematics
Machine Design
Strength of Materials
Motor Vehicle Engineering
Applied Thermodynamics
Fluid Mechanics
T4 Engineering Mathematics
Machine Design
Strength of Materials
Applied Thermodynamics
Metrology
Fluid Mechanics
T5 Specialised in two subjects.
Namely: Fluid Mechanics
Strength of Materials
THESIS COMPLETED: “Relating the Nissan Creep test to South African conditions”
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4. SCHOOL OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT DIPLOMA
VENUE : University of South Africa
PRESENTED BY : Dr. LJ Smalley
COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE
Courses attended: Windows 7 Professional
Microsoft Office Word 2010
Microsoft Office Excel 2010
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2010
Visual Basic For Applications 5
4D Client
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5. PERIOD : August 1989 – June 1995
COMPANY : Nissan South Africa
DEPARTMENT : Product Development
SECTION : Drive-train and Suspension
POSITION HELD : Development Engineer
NATURE OF WORK:
As a Technologist my duties were to engineer and test components of various complexities and
designs, to localise and release them once all testing was complete. Due to the nature of the
work, I dealt much with buyers and suppliers and have travelled domestically to neighbouring
cities. Components, which were my responsibility to develop for South African conditions, are
listed below:
• Alloy Wheels & Centre Caps
• Wheel Covers
• Tyres
• Torsion Bars
• Shock Absorbers / Struts
• Clutch Assembly Covers & Discs
• Handbrakes
• Jacks
• Jack Handles
• Wheel Wrenches
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6. PERIOD : July 1995 – April 1997
COMPANY : Nissan South Africa
OVERSEAS POSTING :
During the second half of 1995, I was requested to represent Nissan S.A.’s Engineering
Department in Italy, while working in collaboration with Fiat Auto Engineers on a project, code
named 178. The 178 project was simply the development of a RHD (Right Hand Drive) version
of the Fiat Palio, Siena and Station Wagon model range. The duration of my stay in Italy (Torino)
was for a period of one year, namely 1996.
POSITION HELD : Nissan South Africa’s Engineering Representative.
NATURE OF WORK:
The scope of my work varied as project requirements altered, however, my duties could be
summarised into the following activities:
• To follow up and feedback to Nissan South Africa on all vehicle design modifications that
were to be implemented on the Right Hand Drive variant as well as the implication of these
changes from a technical and commercial point of view. In order to perform the above
activity, I interphased with Fiat Auto and the design house IDEA, who was responsible for
the design of the vehicle with its sub components.
Note that interphase also took place with many of the Fiat Auto suppliers such
as Magneti Marelli, Comec, TEA, Reydel, TRW, Bundy tubing, LEAR seating
etc.
• Participated in cost reduction activities so that tooling investment could be reduced and
project profitability increased.
• Interphased with Fiat Auto Engineers so as to identify and establish the Bill of Materials list
required for the production of the Right Hand Drive variant.
• Further to the above activities, I was also involved in Platform meetings, where interphase
took place with Fiat Auto and IDEA management on a weekly basis, so as to discuss and
resolve any problems, in order to ensure project continuity.
After returning to South Africa, I continued my roll as the 178 Engineering Representative for a
period of four months, after which the project was terminated by Top Management due to
profitability concerns.
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7. PERIOD : May 1997 – November 1999
COMPANY : Nissan South Africa
DEPARTMENT : Local Content Planning
POSITION : Senior Local Content Planner
NATURE OF WORK:
In May 1997, I was offered a position as a Senior Local Content Planner, in a newly
established division within the Purchasing Department namely, the Local Content Planning
Division. The scope of work was purely to establish the local content on current, as well
as, future Nissan models so as to support the MIDP program.
The nature of my work was such that it included the following activities:
1. Global sourcing studies/activities to ensure component cost competitiveness.
2. Support Export programs in order to gain rebates, which were offset against
Import duties.
3. Expand on localisation, which incorporated the following activities:
• Identification of possible candidate components.
• Performed economic feasibility studies such as NPV’s (NPV - Net Present
Value).
• Developed controlling documents for the control of candidate components.
• Established deletion periods for imported components, to ensure timeous
introduction of local components.
4. Bench marking against competitors.
5. Target setting.
6. Implementation of systems to facilitate daily activities.
PERIOD : December 1999 – September 2002
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8. COMPANY : Fiat Auto South Africa
DEPARTMENT : Industrial department – Process & Technology
POSITION : Change-Control Engineer
NATURE OF WORK:
My employment with Fiat Group Automobiles S.A. initiated in December 1999, where I was
employed as a Change-Control Engineer for the Fiat Palio, Siena and Palio Weekend models that
were being produced for the South African market at the time.
The engineering changes or modifications related to model updates were received electronically
from other Fiat companies based worldwide, in markets such as Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Morocco,
China and India. These modifications needed to be implemented into the Fiat manufacturing
process, by updating the Process Manual, in an electronic and paper form, so as to ensure that the
product was built to the quality standards and specification as called for by Fiat Group
Automobiles - Italy.
The above activity called for a thorough knowledge of the product being built in all three areas of
manufacturing namely Body Shop, Paint Shop and Trim & Mechanical. The constant update of
the Process Manual was a crucial activity in avoiding incorrect part ordering, part shortages or
incorrect product build, which would lead to incomplete or crippled vehicles impacting on the
quality of the product, as well as, affecting the daily into-stock financial figures.
In addition, I was directly involved in establishing new assembly processes together with the
relative documentation, for new model introductions.
PERIOD : October 2002 to August 2007
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9. COMPANY : Fiat Auto South Africa
DEPARTMENT : Industrial - Process & Technology
POSITION : Process & Technology Manager
NATURE OF WORK:
The responsibility of Manager to the Process & Technology Department was assumed in October
2002, where my responsibilities were firstly to manage the department from a staffing as well as
financial point of view. Secondly to oversee the assembly process in the three areas of
manufacture namely Body Shop, Paint Shop and Trim & Mechanical for current locally produced
Fiat model derivatives. In addition, from a Technological point of view, the tooling, jigs &
fixtures and testing equipment required to guarantee the specified assembly process and the cost
management thereof, formed part of my daily responsibilities as well.
Due to the nature of my work, it was necessary to travel both domestically as well as
internationally to countries such as Italy, Brazil and India, where I had the opportunity to
familiarize myself with the assembly processes and technological solutions adopted abroad.
Locally and on a daily basis, I inter-phased much with other departments such as Production,
Quality, Supply and Material Control and have a clear understanding of how these departments
operate and the manner in which they are linked to one another to ensure the daily achievement of
production volume.
• Assembly Process:
Monitoring of the assembly process for 3d/5d Hatch, Panel Van, Sedan and Pick-up
variants was performed on a daily basis by my department. It was my responsibility to
ensure that the production build was to standard, as called for in the Fiat Process Manual.
The process was monitored in all areas of assembly namely Body Shop, Paint Shop and
Trim & Mechanical. As my department was responsible to achieve the desired assembly
process, all assembly jigs & fixtures and testing equipment were checked for correct
functionality and once yearly, all testing equipment was re-calibrated to ensure build quality,
an activity which was performed by both our local and international suppliers. Securing
torques were also monitored very closely where torque values, off randomly selected
vehicles, was gathered and compared to the torque specification for the assembly process
under investigation. Torque control was a vital activity in ensuring the integrity of the
product and the safety of the end user – the customer.
Vehicle bodies were also sent to the metrology room where the dimensional accuracy of the
units being produced on the assembly lines was established and when necessary, corrective
measures were put in place to ensure the accuracy of the assembly jigs & fixtures.
• Running Change Control:
The continuous update of the assembly process was performed through the introduction
and control of assembly process related changes. These process changes were generated
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10. both locally as well as from our Head Office in Italy and were required to capture
component related updates which were either cost driven, process improvement driven or
were new introductions due to new system developments.
The Process Manual updates were performed both electronically and on a paper system and
were required to guarantee the integrity of the production build.
I have had much exposure to the Change Control function and fully understand the manner
in which it operates and the importance of keeping such an activity up to date in order to
avoid Production concerns. These concerns are identified as over-stock concerns as well as
incorrect part fitment or part shortage concerns, resulting in incomplete/crippled vehicles,
which impact directly on daily volume and into stock achievement thus affecting the
financial status of the company.
• New projects:
The development of all new assembly processes related to new model/derivative
introductions, were performed by my department, in the three areas of manufacture i.e.
Body, Paint and Trim & Mechanical.
All technical documentation in the form of Assembly Process Sheets, Assembly Process
related electronic files, 1- Point Advices & Specifications, were generated/obtained and
issued to the assembly lines. All tooling requirements, in the form of jigs & fixtures,
transfers, grabs, conveyors and welding equipment were also established and developed
specifically for the new assembly process. The tooling was developed both internally, in
plant, as well as, externally by sub-contracting work out to various suppliers.
Cost control was a vital activity in ensuring that new projects remained, within the
budgeted figure and therefore the activity of capturing costs, for monitoring purposes,
formed part of my responsibility.
Numerous Engineering as well as Production Trial activities were also performed, where
the assembly process, previously established, was put to the test. The process related
concerns identified during the above trials become challenges, which had to be resolved,
often under extreme timing constraints.
Projects, which I have been directly involved and responsible for are detailed below:
o Fiat Palio & Siena “Face-lift project”
o Fiat Palio “GO”
o Fiat Palio “Sporting”,”Rosso”,”Blue”, “Verde”, “Gala”
o Fiat Palio “VAN”
o Fiat Pickup “Strada”
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11. • Cost reduction activities:
From time to time, I was involved in cost reduction activities where the emphasis was to
identify possible cost saving opportunities for the company. Whether it be in the assembly
process where the materials utilized for cleaning, sealing and coating were scrutinized or on
production models where components for possible commonisation or deletion were
identified. The material composition and design of various locally produced components
such as boot and floor carpets, engine compartment & passenger compartment insulators,
seats and various other smaller components were also scrutinized for possible cost saving
opportunities.
• Warranty claim reduction activities:
On a monthly basis, I was directly involved in evaluating the Warranty claims related to the
previous months production. The aim was to identify through the claims examined, which
claims were related to poor assembly workmanship or assembly process, in order to better
understand, where in the assembly process, greater focus was required to improve the
overall quality of the completed product. The claims were divided into Body Shop, Paint
Shop and Trim & Mechanical and the relevant Process Engineer, was then tasked to resolve
the concerns identified.
The purpose of the activity was firstly to reduce the concerns experienced by the customer
thereby improving customer satisfaction and improving brand image, secondly, the aim was
to reduce the cost to the company thus improving company profitability.
PERIOD : September 2007 – October 2009
COMPANY : Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa
DEPARTMENT : Technical Services & Training
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12. POSITION : Technical Services & Training Manager
NATURE OF WORK:
In September of 2007, Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa terminated all production of locally
built vehicles at the Nissan Assembly plant in Rosslyn and opted to import fully built-up vehicles
only. With this new strategy in place, I was offered the above-mentioned position within the
company, at our Head Office in Midrand. The position was a senior position, with many diverse
responsibilities, reporting directly to the Customer Services director.
Responsibilities that fell directly under my control are defined below, however, the activities listed
were those deemed more important and controlled on a daily basis.
• Dealer Network Training:
Dealer network training was conducted at our training centre in Gauteng, as well as, at
various training venues countrywide to support Dealers in the Cape, Kwazulu-Natal,
Orange Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Province and Namibia areas. The Training
offered varied from Fiat and Alfa Romeo product related information on new or existing
models, to training, which had been developed as a response to the web-based
assessments performed for each Profile filled, at Dealer level, within the After-sales
network.
Web-based assessments had never been performed by our company in the past and after a
6 month development period in which I was fully involved in developing, together with a
software developing company, the AKE (After-sales Knowledge Evaluation) program
was launched to the network, from which 337 completed assessments, 94% of the
network, had been obtained in a 3 week period.
As mentioned earlier, the web-based assessments allowed for the training needs of the
network to be indentified and as a result of the training performed, an improvement to the
Dealer network satisfaction index was achieved.
The training, described above, was presented to the network in a structured manner, thus
all training scheduled was captured onto the Training Calendar, which was uploaded onto
the Training web-site for the Dealer network to access.
As the Manager to the Training Department, my responsibilities were to:
o Manage the Trainers, who were responsible for providing the Training to the
Dealer network.
o Develop and enforce the Training Schedule and to manage any deviations from the
schedule.
o Notify the Dealer network on the Training performance achieved and to re-
schedule Training where Training objectives were not met.
o Generate Training progress reports for top management.
• Customer Care cases:
The cases that were assigned to my Department for resolution were Technical cases which
could not be resolved at Dealer level and were thus elevated to Head Office.
In most instances, the cases were of a complex nature, which had evolved over many
weeks & months, often involving lawyers or attorneys, who represented our client’s
interests.
As the Technical Manager, it was my responsibility to better understand the concern at
hand, interface with the customer or customer representative to understand the needs or
demands of the customer, propose and implement a reasonable solution, thereby trying to
restore customer/company relations, where possible, with the least financial implications
to the company.
• Recall & Service campaigns:
All campaigns, received from our Head Quarters in Italy were controlled and implemented
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13. locally by my department, where applicable. My responsibility was to ensure, that all
campaigns, whether Recall or Service related, were uploaded onto the After-sales web-
site and also distributed directly to the Dealer concerned, who had sold or serviced the
particular vehicle, identified as requiring a Recall or Service intervention. Interphase was
then necessary with the Department of Transport, in order to locate the owner of the
vehicle so as to advise of the intervention required. The progress for each campaign was
captured and monitored on a daily basis and presented to top management on a monthly
basis.
• Technical support:
My department, being a technical department, was responsible to provide technical
support to the Dealer network, when faced with vehicle fault diagnostic concerns or
challenging vehicle repairs. This activity often required the technical specialist, within my
department, to assist the Dealer with the physical repair of the vehicle, at the Dealership.
A similar type of support was also offered to the public/customers who contacted my
department for advice and/or technical information. As the technical manager, my
responsibilities were to capture, assistant and resolve the technical cases assigned to me.
PERIOD : November 2009 – January 2015
COMPANY : Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa/
Chrysler South Africa
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14. DEPARTMENT : Product
POSITION : Homologation Manager
NATURE OF WORK:
In July of 2009, I was approached by top management to consider a position in the then Logistics
Department and assume the position of Homologation Manager. The intension was to set up a
form of succession planning within the department and as a result, was requested to head-up the
Homologation activity within the department.
Based on the above-mentioned motivation, I made the transition from the After-sales department
to the then Logistics department, which commenced in November 2009.
As the Homologation manager, I am responsible for ensuring compliance of our products and
company to South African legislation, standards and code of practice and as a result, am required
to follow legislative changes governing the Motor Industry, which are gazetted from time to time.
As mentioned above, I am responsible for vehicle compliance locally on all Fiat products, which
includes Fiat passenger, Fiat Commercial as well as Alfa Romeo vehicles.
In addition, I am also required to represent the company at the NAAMSA (National Association
of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa) Technical Committee meetings as well as industry
related meetings.
I am also responsible for all vehicle compliance matters and as a result, co-ordinate all
Homologation activities related to new model or model derivatives intended for local
introduction, with the relevant approving Authorities, the NRCS (National Regulator of
Compulsory Standards).
Once Homologation approval for a specific model or model derivative is obtained, I am also
responsible for the uploading of vehicle technical information onto our company systems, in order
to allow, for the processing of the new model/model derivatives through the Sales, Finance,
Logistics and Aftersales departments within our company. In addition, I am responsible for the
capturing of specific CO2 emission and tyre mass information, allowing for the processing of
CO2 emissions & REDISA taxes, which are legislated taxes and are payable by all motor
manufacturing companies.
In late 2013, the Fiat Group acquired 58% of the Chrysler Group internationally, which resulted
globally in the integration of both companies. As a result of the integration, I was made
responsible for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products, from a Homologation perspective, thus
the areas of responsibility exercised over the Fiat products have been extended to the Chrysler
products as well.
In December 2014, the Fiat Group acquired the remaining shares of the Chrysler Group and now
fully owns the Chrysler Group.
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