StangBang Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) "...The Focus is not without its faults. For example, our own Mike Austin had to finish the assembly of our test car by clipping the rear interior door panels into place. The body-panel gaps around the decklid make us sad..." How can this make it past QC? The same way that the LH taillight on our Focus was missing the plastic clips that hold the ballstuds on the taillamp to the body. This is Wayne Michigan assembly.. They don't give a crap! Edited August 26, 2012 by StangBang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 wait.. yep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sr3Rh7Yjnc That doesn't mean much. I mean not that many people are concerned about "panel gaps" as long as the thing doesn't look all jacked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The original.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 A friend of mine was looking at a new Edge, loaded EB with sunroof. The power roof malfunctioned. It didn't leave a good impression and ultimately he bought something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probeGT Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Meanwhile, over on ST Nation there's a guy who just took delivery of a Focus ST and something blew up in the intake while he was getting on I-75. Car had to be towed to the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YT90SC Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) The original.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AktHnnA9QIM Stupid Old Timer's disease. You'd think cause I am old and Lexus only appeals to old farts I'd remember that. Wait. I wasn't old then. No wonder I didnt remember. Edited August 27, 2012 by YT90SC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Are the line workers still allowed to point out problems and if so are changes made ? We sure are. I do it every day. They don't listen or care, as long as they get a good number. But, as my supervisor tells me, the first line of the national contract states that "The company has the right to run the business as it sees fit". Edited August 27, 2012 by Pioneer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Meanwhile, over on ST Nation there's a guy who just took delivery of a Focus ST and something blew up in the intake while he was getting on I-75. Car had to be towed to the dealer. Don't discount driver error either.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We sure are. I do it every day. They don't listen or care, as long as they get a good number. But, as my supervisor tells me, the first line of the national contract states that "The company has the right to run the business as it sees fit". Pioneer: Do you believe that FMC overrules the production line workers when QC issues are identified and does not repair the QC issue before shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Another thought: If C&D got this Focus straight from the factory it would really surprise me, and if this is the usual trashed out press fleet vehicle, I wouldn't be surprised if some trim was falling off. One can debate, I suppose, whether Ford should spend an extra few hundred reconditioning press fleet vehicles between tests, it would seem a small cost. However, these aren't the days of monolithic media anymore, and C&D just isn't as influential as they used to be. Not by a long shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 A friend of mine was looking at a new Edge, loaded EB with sunroof. The power roof malfunctioned. It didn't leave a good impression and ultimately he bought something else. That's a shame. Vista roof on mine has been flawless so far, and I use it absolutely anytime I possibly can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Pioneer: Do you believe that FMC overrules the production line workers when QC issues are identified and does not repair the QC issue before shipping? Yes. I've seen it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes. I've seen it happen. you would have thought they would have learned from their past mistakes. the problem with my hatch is that the tail lamps are out of spec, and causes everything else to look bad. the focus was the first one ford product jusdgeing from the Escapes i have seen they have learned their lesson and resolve the nagging fit and finish issues. they will fix the issues with the focus by the MCE in 2014. I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 you would have thought they would have learned from their past mistakes. the problem with my hatch is that the tail lamps are out of spec, and causes everything else to look bad. the focus was the first one ford product jusdgeing from the Escapes i have seen they have learned their lesson and resolve the nagging fit and finish issues. they will fix the issues with the focus by the MCE in 2014. I hope. Well, you can't expect Ford to react to every quality complaint mentioned by a line worker. They should all be investigated, of course, but in some cases there probably just isn't justification to change a particular process. Perhaps they are deciding not to make changes more often than they had, which could be a troubling sign, but not every complaint should result in a change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Laser vision technology is one part of Ford’s overall drive to achieve industry leadership in customer satisfaction. This new technology is being used during assembly of the 2012 Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly Plant. The robots are programmed to measure points on each vehicle as it moves past the line and recognize any minute deviations from the correct specification. The robots are even empowered to shut down the assembly line if the cameras detect a door does not fit Ford’s exacting quality measurements. Shutting down the assembly line for an out of line door I would think is the enemy of the plant manager under heavy pressure to meet the days minimum units.Probably much easier just to shot off the lasers and hope that the eyes at the end of line are still awake. Edited August 28, 2012 by MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 ........and hope that the eyes at the end of line are still awake. Yet another case of human error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajcomputer Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Laser vision technology is one part of Ford’s overall drive to achieve industry leadership in customer satisfaction. This new technology is being used during assembly of the 2012 Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly Plant. The robots are programmed to measure points on each vehicle as it moves past the line and recognize any minute deviations from the correct specification. The robots are even empowered to shut down the assembly line if the cameras detect a door does not fit Ford’s exacting quality measurements. Shutting down the assembly line for an out of line door I would think is the enemy of the plant manager under heavy pressure to meet the days minimum units.Probably much easier just to shot off the lasers and hope that the eyes at the end of line are still awake. The lasers don't help much when they are shut down to speed up production. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Harbinger Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) Biker says they turned off the lasers in the body shop to speed the production line. Plastic tabs that are not locked into place also smacks of a production line that's being ran too fast. Wow. If so, that's evidence of an undisciplined corporate culture that still puts the short term ahead of the long term. Which tells investors where they should put the stock. Yet it wouldn't surprise me. Last time I went looking at Focuses, I could spot far too many problems, far more than I would ever be comfortable with. It immediately curbed my desire to own one. Edited August 29, 2012 by Noah Harbinger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 (edited) I think a small part of that is that Ford once again underestimated the challenge of making EU-spec cars in the US. By all accounts, given the glacial launch of the Escape (I've seen two), they are not doing that (shutting off the lasers to speed the lines) anymore. Edited August 29, 2012 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Laser vision technology is one part of Ford’s overall drive to achieve industry leadership in customer satisfaction. This new technology is being used during assembly of the 2012 Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly Plant. The robots are programmed to measure points on each vehicle as it moves past the line and recognize any minute deviations from the correct specification. The robots are even empowered to shut down the assembly line if the cameras detect a door does not fit Ford’s exacting quality measurements. Shutting down the assembly line for an out of line door I would think is the enemy of the plant manager under heavy pressure to meet the days minimum units.Probably much easier just to shot off the lasers and hope that the eyes at the end of line are still awake. 1. Robots aren't empowered to do anything. They do what they are told. The PLC will shut the line down if the part is found to be out of spec. 2. The lasers are not a new technology. I can't speak for all plants, but DTP has been using them since I got here in 2007, and I would almost guess they have been in use the whole time the plant has been operating. 3. The eyes at the end of the line are always awake, but if your job is already overloaded, you only concentrate on the task that you have less than a minute to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think I said this was happening 13 months ago. it like being in 1999 again. If the FoE product is harder to assemble you don't speed up the line. rememebr this time last year ford had to Re -ramp up the product,to resolve the issue with thie all-new product in an all new Plant , with it all new Supplier system. Who would you hold resposible for the quality woes ford has been having for the last year? I think the presure to fix its credit rating meant they could not afford to have anything that could make them lose face. the pull of Wall street cause more short sighted descion making, haven't we heard this song before? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I think I said this was happening 13 months ago. it like being in 1999 again. If the FoE product is harder to assemble you don't speed up the line. rememebr this time last year ford had to Re -ramp up the product,to resolve the issue with thie all-new product in an all new Plant , with it all new Supplier system. Who would you hold resposible for the quality woes ford has been having for the last year? I think the presure to fix its credit rating meant they could not afford to have anything that could make them lose face. the pull of Wall street cause more short sighted descion making, haven't we heard this song before? biker16, do you know if the Focus assembly plants in Germany (Saarlouis) or Russia (Vsevolozhsk) have been afflicted by the same quality issues as Michigan Assembly Plant upon launch of the third generation model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 biker16, do you know if the Focus assembly plants in Germany (Saarlouis) or Russia (Vsevolozhsk) have been afflicted by the same quality issues as Michigan Assembly Plant upon launch of the third generation model? haven't been over there in a while but I haven't heard anything bad about the new, as a matter of fact I never heard anything abd about the gen 1 car over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Wow. If so, that's evidence of an undisciplined corporate culture that still puts the short term ahead of the long term. Which tells investors where they should put the stock. Yet it wouldn't surprise me. Last time I went looking at Focuses, I could spot far too many problems, far more than I would ever be comfortable with. It immediately curbed my desire to own one. I hate to say it, but I've noticed the same thing looking at new Focuses on the dealer lot. It's a very sharp car that is not being assembled properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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