• PROTON META POWER 5-STAR Programme empowers employees to drive continuous improvement in manufacturing operations

TANJUNG MALIM, 5 November 2026 – PROTON has launched its PROTON META POWER 5-STAR Programme at its Electric Vehicle (EV) Plant in Tanjung Malim, marking an important step in the company’s ongoing efforts to strengthen employee capability, enhance teamwork and embed a culture of continuous improvement across its manufacturing operations.

PROTON’s EV production plant is the pilot department for the 5-Star Team and PROTON META POWER (PMP) programme that provides a structured framework for team engagement, capability development, assessment and recognition as the company continues to strengthen its manufacturing competitiveness.

Empowering People to Drive Improvement

Under the theme of “Building a Stronger PROTON Through People, Performance and Continuous Improvement”, PMP focuses on empowering employees at every level to take greater ownership of their work. This includes encouraging them to solve problems collectively and contribute ideas that can improve daily operations.

“Advanced technology supports us, but our success ultimately depends on our people – their skills, care and commitment to doing every job well. PROTON META POWER builds on our existing foundation by developing our people and teams, strengthening problem-solving and recognising progress,” said Dr Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer, PROTON.

Employees are encouraged to take ownership of their respective work areas by checking their own work, preventing defects from progressing to the next station, caring for their equipment and supporting colleagues in developing their skills. They are also given an avenue to speak up when problems are identified and to challenge issues rather than accepting them as part of the existing process.

Building on the PROTON Production Way

The implementation of PMP builds on the base set by the PROTON Production Way (PPW), the company’s strategic approach towards a world class manufacturing system. PPW focuses on transforming people, processes and resources to achieve improvements across five key objectives. These are Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery and Morale (SQCDM) that is supported by human capital development, lean management and performance measurement.

The PPW framework encompasses eight key areas: Area Management, Safety and 5S, Skill Development and Evaluation, Operation Standard, Continuous Improvement Initiatives, Equipment Control, Quality Control and Built-in Quality. These areas provide the foundation for consistent operating standards, problem solving, quality improvement, equipment reliability and employee development on the shop floor.

PMP complements this foundation by placing greater emphasis on employee ownership, teamwork and continuous improvement. This enables employees and teams to consistently apply these standards in their daily operations. A key component is the 5-Star Team system, which enables teams to progressively build their capabilities against clearly defined standards, supported by regular assessment and recognition of progress.

The approach is guided by three principles. These are results and people development must go together, improvement requires regular assessment, and assessment must be fair and transparent. It then measures success through improvements in workplace safety, product quality, cost efficiency, equipment reliability, delivery performance and employee skills. There is also an element of accountability as the 5-Star Team approach demands managers and supervisors to lead by example, coach their teams, encourage new ideas and support employees in resolving problems.

“Results and people development must go together. We must achieve our targets while helping employees grow. Improvement also requires regular assessment to recognise progress, address weaknesses and continuously raising our standards. Most importantly, the assessment must be fair and transparent,” added Li Chunrong.

Aside from benefitting PROTON’s product quality through its principles and focus areas, PMP also supports the government’s talent development push especially in the areas of Technical and Vocational and Education Training (TVET). By empowering and upskilling employees, PMP accelerates the development of a workforce trained in the manufacturing of high technology vehicles that will be the focus area for future models.

Through PMP, PROTON aims to make continuous improvement an integral part of every shift and every workstation, while fostering a stronger sense of ownership among employees. Utilising the slogan “Powering Innovation, Unleash Potential Towards Excellence”, it reflects PROTON’s ambition to empower its people, and its dedication to turn ideas and improvements into tangible results to contribute towards a stronger, more competitive organisation and automotive industry.

From Continuous Improvement to Tangible Results

PMP strengthens existing continuous improvement activities, including Innovative and Creative Circle (ICC), Kaizen, 5S and Autonomous Maintenance (A.M.). Employees raise issues through Problem-Solving Tickets and Employee Proposal & Problem Solving, building on PROTON’s existing improvement initiatives. In addition, the Heart & Voice Community provides a platform for employees to share concerns and ideas with management. Issues raised are expected to receive a response, with management acting upon and communicating the outcome to employees.

The implementation roadmap begins with the pilot programme at the EV plant, with the 5-Star Team pilot assessment targeted for completion by December 2026. From 2027 onwards, the programme progressively expands across other plant operations in Tanjung Malim, with the objective of establishing 5-Star capability across these areas by October 2027. The roadmap will focus on replicating best practices from the NEV pilot and driving cross-site sharing and benchmarking.

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