KYCATFAN

As a LAP electrician, I see the exact same thing happening to the Explorer. No refreshening, no new metal, Just bring out a completely new model at another foreign plant. Taurus/Sable would still be selling well if the company hadn't given up the market. I truly feel for all my brothers and sisters in Atlanta. You guys did a hell of a job for a long long time.

Now that's a true American patriot! What a cool thing to do.

Albert, the first buyouts at LAP went to Mant. people in August. That was around 40 tradesmen out Aug. 1st. Production people started leaving Sep. 1st with the last group leaving Oct. 1st. I think that was somewhere around 125 total. Sign-ups for the second round of buyouts is supposedly going to start Oct. 15. I'm sure they're going to be many, many take the offer. Most everyone I know with 30 years is gone, myself included. The mood and morale here at LAP is horrible. The plant manager is trying to keep everyone informed, but I really don't think Dearborn is telling him much. Management at the Headquarters level seems to be as confused as the bosses at the plant level.

Regarding contractors, most maintenance supervision would rather contract out their in plant work. The reason for this is then they cannot be held responsible for these projects. Thru years and years of attrition, Ford no longer has the engineers available to plan and design in house projects. If construction work is handled internally, most of the time the hourly personnel are required to do all of the work usually handeled by engineers. We all know the routine - no prints - no parts - no one to oversee the projects. Many Ford maintenance people are out of construction and can easily handle the work, but the engineering and material acquistioning is another story.

You are absolutely correct in your assessment. This is exactly what is happening in the Paint Dept. at LAP. Management keeps bringing in more and more advisors and supervisors and we keep going down hill. We've got plenty of money for salaried types but nothing for maintanance. And you know its funny because none of the new people are learning anything, " They already know it all".

Joe Bobnar, Plt Mgr at LAP, says 4 more down weeks starting in Oct. This is in addition to the week of Sep. 11. Also in the letter sent to all this morning, he mentioned possible " alternate shift patterns" as a possibility. Rumor around the plant is a line speed reduction to 58jph in Jan. I'm sure we'll see some locals laid off while the transfers remain. Not sure how I feel about that. Well, matbe this will speed up more buyouts.

First and foremost we must build cars and trucks people want to drive. If nobody wants your vehicle, it doesn't matter how efficiently you build it. When SUV market was strong and we were selling all we could build, we were very inefficient but still making bundles of money. Let's face it, apparently the American people have no desire for what we're building and won't buy it no matter how well we build it. Ford cannot cost cut themselves to success. Oh we may be profitable again, but as the #9 or 10 auto maker in the world, but never as #2 or 3 by continuing on the road we are on. Secondly, management must get back to the basics of Total Quality Management (TQM) as laid out by Dr. Deming. First his 14 guiding principles: Deming's 14 points Deming offered fourteen key principles for management for transforming business effectiveness. In summary: 1. Create constancy of purpose for the improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive, stay in business, and provide jobs. 2. Adopt a new philosophy of cooperation (win-win) in which everybody wins and put it into practice by teaching it to employees, customers and suppliers. 3. Cease dependence on mass inspection to achieve quality. Instead, improve the process and build quality into the product in the first place. 4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag alone. Instead, minimize total cost in the long run. Move toward a single supplier for any one item, based on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust. 5. Improve constantly, and forever, the system of production, service, planning, of any activity. This will improve quality and productivity and thus constantly decrease costs. 6. Institute training for skills. 7. Adopt and institute leadership for the management of people, recognizing their different abilities, capabilities, and aspiration. The aim of leadership should be to help people, machines, and gadgets do a better job. Leadership of management is in need of overhaul, as well as leadership of production workers. 8. Drive out fear and build trust so that everyone can work more effectively. 9. Break down barriers between departments. Abolish competition and build a win-win system of cooperation within the organization. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team to foresee problems of production and use that might be encountered with the product or service. 10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets asking for zero defects or new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force. 11. Eliminate numerical goals, numerical quotas and management by objectives. Substitute leadership. 12. Remove barriers that rob people of joy in their work. This will mean abolishing the annual rating or merit system that ranks people and creates competition and conflict. 13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement. 14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job. [edit] Does anybody really think the managers at Ford follow these principles? If anything these appear to be the exact opposite of ideas being followed at the present time. Perhaps someone in management could show a little courage and bring these ideas up to someone who could change the present enviroment. I have read other writings of Dr. Deming and how his thoughts changed the mind set in Japan. I know the Ford managers have also read these things, but apparently they have a better idea. I just don't see their ideas working.

Hey there Hotlanta, where does all of this hatred come from? Has some Kentuckian given you a hard time? I sure would hate for you to think that we have some preconcieved idea about the desires and abilities of the transfers coming our way. I just spent last weekend in North Atlanta and never heard an unkind word towards me or anyone in my family and I can assure that 95% of residents of Jefferson and surrounding counties will be just as kind to you. Why don't you wait and see how your people are recieved before going off like some PO'd jerk.

The company's main concern should be its customers. They are paying the bills, not the shareholders, the analysts or the employees. Give the customer what he wants at a reasonable price and the company will prosper. Ford and most American companies only look in the short term. What are the gains to be made by next year or the next quarter. Toyota has been working their plan for 20 to 25 years and now its paying off. If Mr. Fields and Mr. Ford want this company to rebound to the top of the heap, they must quit thinking about next year and start investing in the future. Where are the engineers and designers for 2010 or 2015? The people in charge of those aspects of the company will be long gone by then, so they could care less. Toyota's forefathers are long gone now, but they viewed their company as more of a national treasure, somewhere their children and grandchildren could earn a living. We need to make sure there will be a Ford Motor Co. in 50 years. This can only be assured by investing for the future.

With sales of the Explorer down to levels that cannot sustain 2 shifts, why not put in a Ranger Body Shop in Louisville ? The Explorer and Mountaineer still have enough sales to warrant their production, just not enough to justify 2 shifts. All of the important equipment and systems at LAP can handle Rangers. I know the present thinking is to import a small pick-up from Thailand, but wouldn't adding the Ranger make much more sense ? Louisville for what its worth was the birthplace of Ranger and bringing it home seems to make good sense. With the addition of the Ranger, product mix could be adjusted to match sales between Explorer, Mountaineer, Sport Track and Ranger. None of these products can support a plant by theirselves, but together they more than make up the numbers for 2 shifts. And with most of the plant already capable of handling the Ranger, it only makes sense financially.