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Ford's incoming CEO wants the U.S. automaker to run like a Deere


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3 hours ago, MY93SHO said:

 

On YouTube go to Tractor Time with Tim for an honest comparison between a Kubota and a Deere.

I watch all of those.  I'm not a Deere hater.  But my Kubota BX fits me better.  The one thing Tim didn't go over was the snowblower.  Kubota has JD beat with the blower.  And snowblowing is my #1 heavy duty task I need done.  Both mow and haul just as well for what I need.

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13 minutes ago, tbone said:


Wow, testy.  I’ve used both and they are both good, reliable, and hold their value.

 

Agreed.  I owned a Kubota, but now own a Deere, only because the size I was wanting (JD 2720) was perfect and the corresponding Kubota was just a tad small for my needs.  I wouldn't hesitate to by either if they fit my needs.  The green paint is a little pricey, but you get it back when (if) you sell it.

 

Many smaller Deere tractors aren't made in the US either.

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2 hours ago, tbone said:


Wow, testy.  I’ve used both and they are both good, reliable, and hold their value.  I own Deere, that’s my preference. 

 

I buy American (and I own a John Deere among many other US brand tools) no apologies - I said what I said and sticking with it. 

 

Edited by Kev-Mo
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On 9/10/2020 at 11:13 PM, akirby said:


Well this is clearly aimed at commercial customers and it’s a value added service and something they are probably already doing to some extent with a 3rd party solution.  I don’t see this as something required that would lock you into Ford.

 

Think of it as an app sitting in the cloud that knows about all your fleet vehicles (like ford pass but with a lot more data) in real time and allows you to monitor and alert on maintenance, performance, location, etc.  it could determine the most efficient/closest vehicle to send to a new dispatch.  It could send the destination to the vehicle GPS.   Lots of added functionality using the built in modem connectivity and integration.

I'll be interested to see how commercial fleets respond and if it's half as good as I suspect,

it could be way more cost effective to sign up to Ford's system than existing external systems.

I think the level of integration is the key advantage here, fleet managers don't want messy add-on systems.

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On 9/10/2020 at 8:13 AM, akirby said:


Well this is clearly aimed at commercial customers and it’s a value added service and something they are probably already doing to some extent with a 3rd party solution.  I don’t see this as something required that would lock you into Ford.

I can tell you that our fleet of Transits uses a 3rd party fleet tracking system. I think we've generally been happy with them, but we've had trouble with some of the units draining the van's main batteries. If we could get that same functionality (and perhaps more) out of a built-in system, I think our fleet manager would be all over it.

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3 minutes ago, SoonerLS said:

I can tell you that our fleet of Transits uses a 3rd party fleet tracking system. I think we've generally been happy with them, but we've had trouble with some of the units draining the van's main batteries. If we could get that same functionality (and perhaps more) out of a built-in system, I think our fleet manager would be all over it.


And if the cost of the cellular modem was already built into the vehicle then Ford would be able to offer the same if not better service a lot cheaper.

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6 hours ago, Kev-Mo said:

 

I buy American (and I own a John Deere among many other US brand tools) no apologies - I said what I said and sticking with it. 

 


I guess I misunderstood your original post.  I too make an effort to buy American.  Deere compact tractors are made in Augusta, Georgia.  Many of them have Yanmar engines, however they are certainly more American than a Kubota, and as we have discussed numerous times here, the profits return to an American company.  
 

My position isn’t meant to disparage Kubota, or those that buy them, just noting that I’m a Deere fan.  

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19 hours ago, tbone said:


I guess I misunderstood your original post.  I too make an effort to buy American.  Deere compact tractors are made in Augusta, Georgia.  Many of them have Yanmar engines, however they are certainly more American than a Kubota, and as we have discussed numerous times here, the profits return to an American company.  
 

My position isn’t meant to disparage Kubota, or those that buy them, just noting that I’m a Deere fan.  

Well I do my part as do my grandsons.  If not a Deere it's a New Holland-just out of loyalty to blue paint?.  And that is not to say the Kubotas are NOT good machines.

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On 9/11/2020 at 8:37 PM, akirby said:

And if the cost of the cellular modem was already built into the vehicle then Ford would be able to offer the same if not better service a lot cheaper.

 

Ford could certainly do that, but they first need to reorient their fleet business operations to be more like a service provider rather than an automaker. Jim Farley and Alex Purdy have the expertise to make that happen. 

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2 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

Ford could certainly do that, but they first need to reorient their fleet business operations to be more like a service provider rather than an automaker. Jim Farley and Alex Purdy have the expertise to make that happen. 


They don’t have to change anything with their current fleet business.  This is an add-on service.

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8 hours ago, akirby said:

They don’t have to change anything with their current fleet business.  This is an add-on service.

 

Service delivery requires a different operating model compared to manufacturing commodity like products. Ford Fleet is mostly in the product business now. The article in the 1st post suggests that Jim Farley wants to change their focus to be more service oriented.

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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

 

The article in the 1st post suggests that Jim Farley wants to change their focus to be more service oriented.


Not at all what he said.

 

Quote

he is betting Ford can transform its commercial vehicle business to generate recurring revenue through sales of services that take advantage of the software, data and connectivity in its F-Series pickup truck and Transit vans.


He wants to sell these services on top of existing commercial vehicles.

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54 minutes ago, akirby said:

He wants to sell these services on top of existing commercial vehicles.

 

Yes sir, that requires a different mindset than what Ford Fleet has now. As I mentioned earlier, it's a shift from a business that is almost entirely product based to one that has a significant services component.

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9 minutes ago, rperez817 said:

 

Yes sir, that requires a different mindset than what Ford Fleet has now. As I mentioned earlier, it's a shift from a business that is almost entirely product based to one that has a significant services component.


It’s not even a shift, it’s just adding software on top of existing technology.  If you just mean they’re investing in services more now than before then I agree.  But it’s not changing how they build the vehicles.

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3 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

Yes sir, that requires a different mindset than what Ford Fleet has now. As I mentioned earlier, it's a shift from a business that is almost entirely product based to one that has a significant services component.

Or how about a much more significant profit margin of 40%+. 

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19 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

Gee, I was just watching an Amazon TV ad touting their electric vans and they look like Transits!  So what am I missing?  Aren't they already apparently manufacturing electric Transits?  Who is providing the electric drivetrain to Ford?  On a side note, is there hope for class 8 again?

 

It's possible they could have had them retrofit themselves after purchase from Ford.

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11 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

Gee, I was just watching an Amazon TV ad touting their electric vans and they look like Transits!  So what am I missing?  Aren't they already apparently manufacturing electric Transits?  Who is providing the electric drivetrain to Ford?  On a side note, is there hope for class 8 again?

 

Transit EV's won't be available until at least next year... 2021MY

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On 9/13/2020 at 4:14 PM, Joe771476 said:

Gee, I was just watching an Amazon TV ad touting their electric vans and they look like Transits!  So what am I missing?  Aren't they already apparently manufacturing electric Transits?  Who is providing the electric drivetrain to Ford?  On a side note, is there hope for class 8 again?

 

On 9/13/2020 at 4:34 PM, rmc523 said:

 

It's possible they could have had them retrofit themselves after purchase from Ford.

 

On 9/14/2020 at 3:37 AM, ice-capades said:

 

Transit EV's won't be available until at least next year... 2021MY

 

The BEV Ford Transit vans in Amazon's fleet were converted from ICE to BEV by a third party company, Lightning Systems of Loveland, Colorado. 

 

Spec sheet for Lighting Electric Ford Transit Cargo Van. https://lightningsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/LS_Transit_cargo_van_sheet_July2020_v1.0b_online.pdf

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On 9/15/2020 at 1:21 PM, 7Mary3 said:

I don't see any likelihood for Ford to return to class 8 trucks.  Did hear a redesigned 650/750 might be in the works for 2023, that is probably the best you could hope for.  


Pre-covid there was a group running numbers on Class 8, however it was being envisioned as Electric only. You're going to see some pretty big electric powertrain news coming out soon as well.  

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1 hour ago, jasonj80 said:


Pre-covid there was a group running numbers on Class 8, however it was being envisioned as Electric only. You're going to see some pretty big electric powertrain news coming out soon as well.  

When my deceased father started at Ford back in '55, he first worked in Ford's defense business having come from Douglas Aircraft and later worked in Ford's big truck division after Ford abandoned its defense business. Both offer possible new forays for Ford with higher profit margins than automotive. GM still has a defense business that looks promising. 

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53 minutes ago, FordBuyer said:

GM still has a defense business that looks promising. 

 

Yes sir FordBuyer, the newly formed GM Defense (original GM Defense was sold to General Dynamics in 2003) has won several big Department of Defense contracts in the past few years. They're building the new ISV for the U.S. Army and a UUV for the U.S. Navy. 

 

GM Defense has a lot of technical expertise with hydrogen fuel cells. While they're fool cells for cars and light trucks for retail consumers, fuel cells may be more practical in military applications.

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