MF is a Genius

[IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE]

Its good to see Ford finally making some progress on its turnaround.

 

1Get capacity in line with demand? Check

2Get manufacturing costs in line with your competition? Check

 

Slowly but surely, and not without reluctance, ford is moving in the right direction. However i'm surprised theres not more talk of cutting some brands. Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, AM, Jaguar, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover...did i miss any? There is little justification for supporting so many brands in this hypercompetitive market. Each brand requires marketing, HR, engineering, supply base support etc. etc. Theres allot of redundancy there. 50 years ago brand loyalty was a given. People would buy a mustang in college, graduate to a fairlane, marry into a Galaxy and then die in a continental. But today there really is no point in maintaining so many brands or redundant models. Simply, the market doesnt demand it. Do consumers care that Ford is "Bold" or Mercury is Metro Cool? No, they want a car that meets their needs (comfortable, fast, cheap..whatever those needs may be).

 

If you benchmark the competition, the successful competition, they're maintaining 2 or 3 brands. So the point?? I think number three on the above list should be sell/shutter some brands. That will help with the first two points and allow the company to FOCUS on producing some winners instead of an endless stream of half ass attempts. GM has the same problem...far to many brands! Ford can die a slow painful death in which case everyone loses...or they can make the hard decisions now so that the company can soldier on. If you disagree...ask yourself this question. If you were to start from scratch today and make an auto company...would you fragment the company into multiple brands with similar overlapping models? or would you create one strong brand whose label models could proudly wear?

Ford Trucks Volvo and Ford Cars. Aston Martin and Jag. Bring Aston more luxury affordable models 50 and up. Volvo 23 to 50. Ford 12 to 25g. Jag 30 to 100g. g (thousands of dollars) Go Ford GO

[ghstwolf]

Great point, I'll summarize if you don't mind.

 

One Target Customer = One Brand

 

Keeping three brands = Keeping three target customers

 

Making three people happy > making everyone happy

 

Good enough?

 

Other than a hint of how to "use" brands like AM, LR, and Jag to pioneer emerging options (ie materials, processes and certain parts), you hit all the bullet points.

 

Selling to everyone (as Ford has done for decades) means targeting no one, and in the end no one is who you have left. Having 10 customers you can close the deal on everytime is much better than 100 customers you can only close 10% of the time. Sure you're selling the same amount, but the guy on the sales floor is working 10x harder. That's fucking discouraging, and their service will suffer (unhappy people sell less).

 

Beyond that it's easier to design, sell and advertise to a select group. Easier in this case means both quicker and cheaper. In design it means fewer compromises and fewer focus groups, and in the end a product that should be far more desirable to a slightly smaller group of people. Then you advertise in smaller venues that coincide with your mark (target consumer). From the sales end, you're gonna see a lot more people that actually want what you're selling. Since it's built for "them" advertised to "them" and in pretty short order the brand would have the image they want. This is a big deal, there is too much competition in every segment, and from a purely "performance" side most cars are pretty similar (ie not a huge difference in 0-60, braking, handling, MPG, or space) . From a purely utilitarian side, from point A to point B cars differ mostly in style and the buying demographics.

[sparks will fly]

You're wrong, THIS is MF flexing his muscles, he's taking the bull by the horns on this. That's the reason someone else is doing the new Shelby, because its been in the pipe and not the street for so long. PD couldn't do it, so he found someone else who will

 

Do you think Caroll Shelby's name is on the car and he isn't looking over shoulders? Do you know the F'n history of the shelby mustang at all? If anyone had a hand in getting him working on the current version I would think someone from the Ford family (Bill himself) approached him long before MF was here. In fact they started talk of the GT 500 in 2004 read up on this please.

[kpc655]

Some interesting points...but if you consider ford (and GM's) approach over the last 20+ years its been exactly as many of you say. They tried to develop endless niche brands and vehicles. Unfortunately its landed them where they are today. I'm not saying they shouldn't target as many audiences as possible, but i think they should do it through one strong brand with more vehicles. People arent gonna buy a dressed up fusions even if it has a mercury badge on it because they know that in the end, its a dressed up fusion. I think the state of the industry today is evidence that this is the wrong approach.

 

Consider the inherint compromises ford has to make with a new vehicle. Some designer comes up with a new sedan...first they have to compromise and split the car into different versions for different brands. The ford version cant be to fancy...and the lincoln version cant be too sporty..etc. etc. Then they make the option packages and further complicate (add cost) to the situation. I say focus on designing one vehicle with enough options to satisfy your audience then upsell. Less brands means - less dealers, less service parts, less suppliers, less manufacturing costs, less engineering support, less complexity...the list goes on.

 

If it were me..i'd shutter Mercury. Package jag and land rover together and sell them off...could be a nice cash infusion if the right buyer was found. they could really play off the brit's patriotism! Keep AM..that V8 is a killer car but then again i'm not an impartial judge of AM due to my work situation. Volvo i'd keep because they've done an excellent job of branding them as safe vehicles and here in Europe anyway they've got a great following.

 

I could be wrong...time will tell what the winning strategy is. Toyota and Honda have succeeded by building one strong brand then leveraging it for many different models. Many here suggest that ford should try to maintain multiple brands and even more models but i think that will cause ford to lose focus and ultimately lose the battle.

 

Sorry if this is a bit off topic from the original post! Great forums though....its interesting to see the opinions of various insiders.

[silvrsvt]

If it were me..i'd shutter Mercury. Package jag and land rover together and sell them off...could be a nice cash infusion if the right buyer was found. they could really play off the brit's patriotism! Keep AM..that V8 is a killer car but then again i'm not an impartial judge of AM due to my work situation. Volvo i'd keep because they've done an excellent job of branding them as safe vehicles and here in Europe anyway they've got a great following.

 

The only problem with this is that shuttering Mercury would kill off Lincoln (which the dealership body needs Mercury as a volume brand) and why in the world would Ford sell Land Rover when they are making money off them? Mercury is cheap to keep around vs killing it off.

[RichardJensen]

Do you think Caroll Shelby's name is on the car and he isn't looking over shoulders? Do you know the F'n history of the shelby mustang at all? If anyone had a hand in getting him working on the current version I would think someone from the Ford family (Bill himself) approached him long before MF was here. In fact they started talk of the GT 500 in 2004 read up on this please.

Actually, I believe it was Edsel Ford II that approached Carroll Shelby, not Bill Jr.

 

But Ol Shel likes Fields, no doubt about that.

[2005Explorer]

Since I have started watching the Bold Moves documentary I have grown to really like Mark Fields. He really appears to be a car guy and he seems to have a high level of enthusiasm compared to a lot of the corporate types. I think he really does get it.

[g48150]

Do you think Caroll Shelby's name is on the car and he isn't looking over shoulders? Do you know the F'n history of the shelby mustang at all? If anyone had a hand in getting him working on the current version I would think someone from the Ford family (Bill himself) approached him long before MF was here. In fact they started talk of the GT 500 in 2004 read up on this please.

 

Oh come on, YOU of ALL people here have to speak Fordish on this one. My post was 100% Ford Speak!

 

Ford Speak, Mutha , do you speak it????

[sparks will fly]

Actually, I believe it was Edsel Ford II that approached Carroll Shelby, not Bill Jr.

 

But Ol Shel likes Fields, no doubt about that.

 

I couldn't remember which one it was thanks.

[sparks will fly]

Oh come on, YOU of ALL people here have to speak Fordish on this one. My post was 100% Ford Speak!

 

Ford Speak, Mutha , do you speak it????

 

WTF are you talking about? I don't speak dumbshit but you seem to have it down well. For someone with 9 months at Ford you seem to have a better handle on this company than most. You appear to be the type that if you got into the apprenticeship you would know more than a journeyman by your second year. What I spoken here on this board are the thoughts and views of me and my peers during conversations at work in the plant. Seeing programs come and go is nothing new, just another way Ford has found a way to try to either follow someone else's lead or justifiy someone's job. I have been a Ford man all my life, I try to learn more about the history of the company all the time so if I do say something I try to keep it valid. When MF toke all the old pics down in the glass house and he said we need to look ahead not behind, that showed me that he is not the person I want to follow.

[sparks will fly]

What g48150 24 hours and no Fordish reply? figures.

[06StangAwesomecar]

What g48150 24 hours and no Fordish reply? figures.

Definatly like your attitude,, good posts.

[g48150]

What g48150 24 hours and no Fordish reply? figures.

 

Sorry, was actually working for once. Word around the campfire here in glasshouse land is that 6000 of our closest friends will be similarly asked to "leave". Salaried only.

 

I don't mean to bust out the but hey, I'd have no love loss if I went. I GUARANTEE that they won't get rid of the people that need it. We have the plan to design cars with target attributes that customers want, but we just don't have the focus. Cost, Cost, Cost, that's all I hear in the glass house all day long. Not one LL(2-6) has said about ANYTHING to do with how their little piece of Ford does anything for the customer.

 

I'll always love Ford, Henry Ford is one of my personal heros. To my defense, I didn't know what I was getting into, hell, I used to build tanks, and tanks just aren't cars. I HOPE Ford recovers, but at this point, NOTHING'S different, absolutely nothing. Everyone in my building just laughs when they hear anything about bold moves. Someone rips a fart, and inevitably someone says, "hey, that's a bowled move!"

 

I don't know, I'm not sure what would work, I just know that what we have now, doesn't...

[NoMoVisteon]

Sorry, was actually working for once. Word around the campfire here in glasshouse land is that 6000 of our closest friends will be similarly asked to "leave". Salaried only.

 

I don't mean to bust out the but hey, I'd have no love loss if I went. I GUARANTEE that they won't get rid of the people that need it. We have the plan to design cars with target attributes that customers want, but we just don't have the focus. Cost, Cost, Cost, that's all I hear in the glass house all day long. Not one LL(2-6) has said about ANYTHING to do with how their little piece of Ford does anything for the customer.

 

I'll always love Ford, Henry Ford is one of my personal heros. To my defense, I didn't know what I was getting into, hell, I used to build tanks, and tanks just aren't cars. I HOPE Ford recovers, but at this point, NOTHING'S different, absolutely nothing. Everyone in my building just laughs when they hear anything about bold moves. Someone rips a fart, and inevitably someone says, "hey, that's a bowled move!"

 

I don't know, I'm not sure what would work, I just know that what we have now, doesn't...

I guess that next month sometime, we shall soon see the shit hitting the fan :fan: :fan: and not just salary either. Hate to say it, but both Billy and Mark haven't a clue at all. Just my thoughts, that's all and I'll let it go at that..........

[IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE]

I HOPE Ford recovers, but at this point, NOTHING'S different, absolutely nothing. Everyone in my building just laughs when they hear anything about bold moves. Someone rips a fart, and inevitably someone says, "hey, that's a bowled move!" :fan:

[RichardJensen]

Sorry, was actually working for once. Word around the campfire here in glasshouse land is that 6000 of our closest friends will be similarly asked to "leave". Salaried only.

 

I don't mean to bust out the but hey, I'd have no love loss if I went. I GUARANTEE that they won't get rid of the people that need it. We have the plan to design cars with target attributes that customers want, but we just don't have the focus. Cost, Cost, Cost, that's all I hear in the glass house all day long. Not one LL(2-6) has said about ANYTHING to do with how their little piece of Ford does anything for the customer.

 

I'll always love Ford, Henry Ford is one of my personal heros. To my defense, I didn't know what I was getting into, hell, I used to build tanks, and tanks just aren't cars. I HOPE Ford recovers, but at this point, NOTHING'S different, absolutely nothing. Everyone in my building just laughs when they hear anything about bold moves. Someone rips a fart, and inevitably someone says, "hey, that's a bowled move!"

 

I don't know, I'm not sure what would work, I just know that what we have now, doesn't...

It is impossible for Ford not to have people like this working for them.

 

What has to change is how many of these chuckleheads get promoted. Ideally, none.

[sparks will fly]

It is impossible for Ford not to have people like this working for them.

 

What has to change is how many of these chuckleheads get promoted. Ideally, none.

 

Well Richard most do.

[RichardJensen]

Well Richard most do.

See, there's part of the problem.

 

When Gerster took over IBM, he completely revamped the company's promotional guidelines. The object was to find and promote the most creative people in the company. Don't know quite how he did it, but it seems to have worked.

 

There are most likely still hundreds--thousands of IBM employees with a similarly slack attitude toward their job and their employer. But it seems that with the 'new' IBM, they are less likely to move up the ladder through inertia or longevity.

 

Maybe a starting point is to stop weighting seniority.

 

However, all this stuff starts at the top, and given that Ford didn't get serious about overhauling PD until November/January, it may be a year or so before a change in attitude shows up. Ford's product is going to get better well before then, but a more responsive PD unit will take longer to craft.

 

One thing I will say, and I am about as big a Ford 'buff' as you can find, is that I totally agree with Fields taking down the 'history' pictures at Ford. Old Henry once said, "the only history that is important is the history we make today". It's important to recognize the great things of the past, but in this day and age it's altogether too easy to slip into a maudlin and wobegone attitude, thinking that the best days are gone, and that there is no glory possible in what the company is doing now, nor in what it will do in the future.

 

People had written off IBM in '94, nobody was buying what they were selling, they were stuck in a backward looking frame of mind, collectively, and their business model, based on an assumption that their products were superior simply because of the name on them, was falling apart.

 

IBM today is nimbler, more profitable, more successful, and more competitive than ever. It is a far better company today than was the company that executives were pining away for in 1993. The same can be true of Ford. It will probably never sell one out of every four cars in the U.S., but it can be profitable, and far more nimble and competitive than it has ever been in the past.

Edited August 18, 2006 by RichardJensen

[sparks will fly]

One thing I will say, and I am about as big a Ford 'buff' as you can find, is that I totally agree with Fields taking down the 'history' pictures at Ford. Old Henry once said, "the only history that is important is the history we make today". It's important to recognize the great things of the past, but in this day and age it's altogether too easy to slip into a maudlin and wobegone attitude, thinking that the best days are gone, and that there is no glory possible in what the company is doing now, nor in what it will do in the future.

 

I on the other hand believe that if you don't look at your past and learn from your mistakes as well as your advances you are wasting time. Henry said that at a time when Ford was pioneering the assembly line, now Ford is trying ways to reinvent it. Did you know that our stock comes in separated by another location through the ASRS process? What this means is we handle material more often by 3 fold. I know that this is some BS from Toyota to be more efficent but to me it cost way more money. Someone said that warhousing space full cost money and separating it with just in time delivery is more cost effective. Can you tell me how this saves money or does it?

[F250]

See, there's part of the problem.

 

One thing I will say, and I am about as big a Ford 'buff' as you can find, is that I totally agree with Fields taking down the 'history' pictures at Ford. Old Henry once said, "the only history that is important is the history we make today". It's important to recognize the great things of the past, but in this day and age it's altogether too easy to slip into a maudlin and wobegone attitude, thinking that the best days are gone, and that there is no glory possible in what the company is doing now, nor in what it will do in the future.

 

...The same can be true of Ford. It will probably never sell one out of every four cars in the U.S., but it can be profitable, and far more nimble and competitive than it has ever been in the past.

 

Old Henry probably would have said "why can't we sell 25% or more of the cars in the U.S.?" He didn't seem like the kind of man who liked hearing that something can't be done.

 

And some of the pictures of the company's history need to remain. Ford Motor Company has a very proud 103 year history that should be respected. Read the official company history of any of the Jap auto makers, did you know the 1940's never existed? Well is is a little hard explaining to your core market how your company built machines to kill your customer's fathers and grandfathers when Imperial Japan along with Nazi Germany were responsable for the most destructive war the world has ever known. Yea, that's hard to market, better time-warp around that one. And while Ford Motor company was putting the world on wheels building millions of Model-Ts Toyoda wasn't even in the car business, they were making looms or something, later one of the Toyoda sons came to America and bought his first car to take back home and copy. Yes that wasn't a typo their family name was Toyoda it was changed to Toyota for marketing reasons so the company doesn't even really carry their family name.

 

The problem with companies as big as Ford or as small as a single dealership is there will always be those who succede through politics, to put it kindly. We have all worked with people who knew their job better than anyone, worked hard and were intollerant of others who didn't. Unfortunately those people rarely get promoted, their straight talking gets them labeled as having a bad attitude. No, it's usually suck-ups that get promoted instead. And when those incompetent idiots trash the company they blame the hard workers who are their biggest threat in an effort to get them eliminated when the company is forced to downsize.

 

Why will the "way forward" fail? Because Ford is choosing which plants to close based only on cost not quality. They have made mistakes like these before but history is not important...right.

[RichardJensen]

I on the other hand believe that if you don't look at your past and learn from your mistakes as well as your advances you are wasting time. Henry said that at a time when Ford was pioneering the assembly line, now Ford is trying ways to reinvent it. Did you know that our stock comes in separated by another location through the ASRS process? What this means is we handle material more often by 3 fold. I know that this is some BS from Toyota to be more efficent but to me it cost way more money. Someone said that warhousing space full cost money and separating it with just in time delivery is more cost effective. Can you tell me how this saves money or does it?

I'm guessing your time is less expensive than warehouse fixed costs. Big warehouses may not require as much materials handling but they do require more 'picking' time than JIT inventory processes.

 

BTW, who said Ford wasn't learning from past mistakes? Are they now launching cars with interiors as bad as the late 90s Fords? Are they sitting on launched products, not updating them? Are they dumping new product into fleets and killing resale value?

 

Also, someone seemed to suggest that 'being intolerant of others' was a quality that merited promotion. I'm sorry. It does not. Knowing all you can possibly know about doing your job and being good at it is meaningless if you're intolerant of others, if others find you difficult to work with. The first responsibility that comes with managing people is getting them to do their best. If a large number of the people in your unit think you a jackass, you 1) will not be able to fire them (managers almost never have that kind of authority over their units--anywhere), and 2) they will not do good work for you. The best managers out there, seeing that managers do not do real work, know how to listen, and they are smart enough to recognize a good idea when they hear it, and are diligent enough to follow that idea through, and see that it gets implemented.

 

And finally, Ford might someday get back to a 25% market share, but they sure as heck aren't going to get their by carrying around enough capacity for a 25% market share.

 

Oh, wait, one more thing: Old Henry dang near killed Ford Motor Company, and HE let GM pass Ford by in the mid 20s because HE couldn't see past the Model T.

Edited August 18, 2006 by RichardJensen

[sparks will fly]

I'm guessing your time is less expensive than warehouse fixed costs. Big warehouses may not require as much materials handling but they do require more 'picking' time than JIT inventory processes.

 

BTW, who said Ford wasn't learning from past mistakes? Are they now launching cars with interiors as bad as the late 90s Fords? Are they sitting on launched products, not updating them? Are they dumping new product into fleets and killing resale value?

 

Also, someone seemed to suggest that 'being intolerant of others' was a quality that merited promotion. I'm sorry. It does not. Knowing all you can possibly know about doing your job and being good at it is meaningless if you're intolerant of others, if others find you difficult to work with. The first responsibility that comes with managing people is getting them to do their best. If a large number of the people in your unit think you a jackass, you 1) will not be able to fire them (managers almost never have that kind of authority over their units--anywhere), and 2) they will not do good work for you. The best managers out there, seeing that managers do not do real work, know how to listen, and they are smart enough to recognize a good idea when they hear it, and are diligent enough to follow that idea through, and see that it gets implemented.

 

And finally, Ford might someday get back to a 25% market share, but they sure as heck aren't going to get their by carrying around enough capacity for a 25% market share.

 

Oh, wait, one more thing: Old Henry dang near killed Ford Motor Company, and HE let GM pass Ford by in the mid 20s because HE couldn't see past the Model T.

 

Stock used to be unloaded many times from trucks directly to the line, my therory is the less that it is handled the more money, and less chance of damage you have. Typical is the tires that come into the plant for trucks at KCAP. In the past they were unloaded from a truck onto large carts brought directly to the tire shop. Next an operator used the "pick system" (simple terms) to take the tires off this large cart and put them on a belt conveyor to feed the mounting equipment. Now someone in another faclitiy takes tires and puts them on a special rack already sequenced in build rotation. Seems to me these tires are handled more often that way, who pays for this? Ford, smart money to me, yea right.

 

When Ford does start getting managers that know HOW TO manage I will post this info, sorry to say it has been a while since I have seen that.

[Noah Harbinger]

And some of the pictures of the company's history need to remain. Ford Motor Company has a very proud 103 year history that should be respected.

 

What have they done for me .... Lately?

 

That's the question.

 

With companies, there is no past.

[F250]

Knowing all you can possibly know about doing your job and being good at it is meaningless if you're intolerant of others, if others find you difficult to work with. The first responsibility that comes with managing people is getting them to do their best. If a large number of the people in your unit think you a jackass, you 1) will not be able to fire them (managers almost never have that kind of authority over their units--anywhere), and 2) they will not do good work for you.

 

To manage workers a leader must EARN their respect, that is his/her first resonsability because without it they cannot lead.

 

I said "We have all worked with people who knew their job better than anyone, worked hard and were intollerant of others who didn't. " I thought I would quote myself since you missed the point the first time. I did not say you have to be a jackass, just intollerant of lazy slackers who don't care enough to give their best effort on the job.

 

And if you think Ford isn't making big mistakes that affect quality just wait until the vehicles that are being built by the currently demoralized work force hit the street.

[RichardJensen]

To manage workers a leader must EARN their respect, that is his/her first resonsability because without it they cannot lead.

 

I said "We have all worked with people who knew their job better than anyone, worked hard and were intollerant of others who didn't. " I thought I would quote myself since you missed the point the first time. I did not say you have to be a jackass, just intollerant of lazy slackers who don't care enough to give their best effort on the job.

 

And if you think Ford isn't making big mistakes that affect quality just wait until the vehicles that are being built by the currently demoralized work force hit the street.

A manager is not a 'leader', a manager is a facilitator. It's your responsibility to know how to do your job. It's your manager's job to see to it that 1) you know what your job is, and 2) you can do your job free of encumberances. And this applies to everyone in the unit. That means keeping individual employees from being encumberances on other employees. Either because they're too stupid, or because they're too abrasive.

Edited August 19, 2006 by RichardJensen