Proton has appointed a new Director of Quality, 56 year old Dr Wolfgang Karl Eppel. Dr. Epple was previously serving in BMW AG as Vice President of Quality Management R&D. He was also previously in charge of Hybrid technologies, and was also the project leader for the E90 3-Series.
“We believe that with his strong technical and managerial expertise and leadership, Dr Epple would be able to drive the Quality transformation process for the PROTON Group,” said Proton MD Datuk Hj Syed Zainal.
Dr Epple has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. But I wonder how much Dr Epple really can do in Proton. Yes, he can improve the assembly lines. But quality is more than how the car is put together. Proton being Proton, there is always the case of the untouchables… no 23 years of experience in BMW will help with that.
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AI-generated Summary ✨
Comments express a mix of optimism and skepticism about Proton's appointment of a BMW-trained quality director, Dr. Epple. Some believe his expertise can lead to meaningful improvements in car quality and address issues with untouchable vendors, while others doubt genuine change due to entrenched vendor and management practices, calling it marketing or superficial efforts. Several comments emphasize that real progress depends on supplier reform, leadership authority, and attitude change within Proton. Critics also question whether hiring expensive foreign experts effectively resolves deeper systemic issues or if Proton's focus on cost-cutting and vendor corruption will hinder genuine quality enhancement. Overall, opinions are divided, with cautious hope for better quality, but strong doubts about the company's ability to implement lasting change.