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Ford Pro Leadership Team


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https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2021/09/09/ford-pro-builds-accomplished-leadership-team.html

 

Outside of Hans Schep, it does not appear that anyone on that team has any direct experience in designing or marketing commercial trucks.  Lots of talent in current trendy fields peripheral to the task, but I am not seeing a lot of relevant talent.  At least Navin Kumar ought be able to keep accurate tabs on diminishing revenue should this bold and seemingly misguided (or unguided?) effort fails.  Not thinking Farley has a good handle on this aspect of the business.  

 

Very afraid Ford's leadership position in commercial vehicle sales is at grave risk.   

Edited by 7Mary3
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4 hours ago, 7Mary3 said:

, it does not appear that anyone on that team has any direct experience in designing or marketing commercial trucks. 

 

Ford Pro, a separate global vehicle services and distribution business 

 

It appears to me that they are more concerned about SaaS type products then actual design or marketing with Ford Pro.

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23 minutes ago, silvrsvt said:

 

Ford Pro, a separate global vehicle services and distribution business 

 

It appears to me that they are more concerned about SaaS type products then actual design or marketing with Ford Pro.

 

Yes!  But what worries me is the focus seems to be moving away from the actual product and towards a bunch of hoopla surrounding the product.  Not to say that some of what they are pushing does not have merit, but it isn't going to entice a fleet to buy a non-competitive vehicle over a better alternative.  A lot of what Ford Pro is pushing is already offered from 3rd. party suppliers and their products function on any make of vehicle.   

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14 minutes ago, 7Mary3 said:

 

Yes!  But what worries me is the focus seems to be moving away from the actual product and towards a bunch of hoopla surrounding the product.  Not to say that some of what they are pushing does not have merit, but it isn't going to entice a fleet to buy a non-competitive vehicle over a better alternative.  A lot of what Ford Pro is pushing is already offered from 3rd. party suppliers and their products function on any make of vehicle.   


Since when has Ford not had competitive, if not outright first in class commercial vehicles?  The services are no good without the vehicles.  This is just hyping a brand new product and we’ve already discussed who this is aimed at - smaller businesses who aren’t tied to multi vehicle brands and 3rd party systems.  One stop shopping at what should be a lower total cost.

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3 hours ago, 7Mary3 said:

A lot of what Ford Pro is pushing is already offered from 3rd. party suppliers and their products function on any make of vehicle.   

 

Yes sir 7Mary3. However, if Ford Pro does things right, this business unit could give Ford additional customers and revenue opportunities, including fleets that have non-Ford vehicles. Also, services and software like what Ford Pro has planned should be much more profitable than selling vehicles to fleets which is a notoriously low or no profit business.

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Dumb move- The market for electronic fleet vehicle management aids is already saturated. Ford already has a (self) limited range of commercial vehicle offerings from minivans up to just barely class 8, and is only competitive up to class 5 or so with cabover sized holes in Ford's offerings. And that's just in North America- In the ROW while Ottoman Ford has some decent class 8 offerings, the only pickup offering in most markets is the Ranger. So with such a limited range, will Ford's system offer electronic logbook functions for NA and ROW? I doubt it. Camera recording, weight station bypass, and critical incident reporting? Maybe. Shipment tracking? Fat chance.

 

Ford, take a hint: Nobody who's running a varied fleet of trucks is going to buy your system if it can't even do basic logbook functions on other brands of class 6-8 trucks. So swallow your pride, find the best system out there, and offer it to your customers. 

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1 hour ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Dumb move- The market for electronic fleet vehicle management aids is already saturated. Ford already has a (self) limited range of commercial vehicle offerings from minivans up to just barely class 8, and is only competitive up to class 5 or so with cabover sized holes in Ford's offerings. And that's just in North America- In the ROW while Ottoman Ford has some decent class 8 offerings, the only pickup offering in most markets is the Ranger. So with such a limited range, will Ford's system offer electronic logbook functions for NA and ROW? I doubt it. Camera recording, weight station bypass, and critical incident reporting? Maybe. Shipment tracking? Fat chance.

 

Ford, take a hint: Nobody who's running a varied fleet of trucks is going to buy your system if it can't even do basic logbook functions on other brands of class 6-8 trucks. So swallow your pride, find the best system out there, and offer it to your customers. 


The main thing you’re missing is the electronics for this are already in the vehicles - nothing has to be added.  And I don’t think this is targeted at heavy duty trucks - I think it’s targeted at smaller transit and super duty fleets.  You buy 10 Transits and sign up for services with zero up front investment.  Brother in law has 8 crews running super duties all over the country and this would be perfect for him.

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2 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Ford, take a hint: Nobody who's running a varied fleet of trucks is going to buy your system if it can't even do basic logbook functions on other brands of class 6-8 trucks. So swallow your pride, find the best system out there, and offer it to your customers. 

 

Maybe Ford Pro will rely on third party systems for things like logbook, and then integrate those into Ford's own service offerings or software. Ford is doing some of that with FordPass app. My wife and I use FordPass with our Mustang Mach-E for info on public charging from other companies like ChargePoint and Electrify America. While the experience isn't as seamless as Tesla's app that I use with my Model S, at least Ford is making an effort in providing useful services and software to its customers.

 

And Ford must invest in mobility services related offerings in order to enter the "new world" of the automotive industry. Mobility services is 1 of the 3 major pillars of the automotive industry's entire future (the others are 100% electric vehicles and 100% autonomous vehicles). I think the Ford Pro leadership team members mentioned in the original post have the skills and vision to make it happen. 

Edited by rperez817
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5 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Dumb move- The market for electronic fleet vehicle management aids is already saturated. Ford already has a (self) limited range of commercial vehicle offerings from minivans up to just barely class 8, and is only competitive up to class 5 or so with cabover sized holes in Ford's offerings. And that's just in North America- In the ROW while Ottoman Ford has some decent class 8 offerings, the only pickup offering in most markets is the Ranger. So with such a limited range, will Ford's system offer electronic logbook functions for NA and ROW? I doubt it. Camera recording, weight station bypass, and critical incident reporting? Maybe. Shipment tracking? Fat chance.

 

Ford, take a hint: Nobody who's running a varied fleet of trucks is going to buy your system if it can't even do basic logbook functions on other brands of class 6-8 trucks. So swallow your pride, find the best system out there, and offer it to your customers. 

 

That's it, and if I am not mistaken this poster has some fleet experience too.  The big potential failing I see with Ford's idea is that unless it is competitive with what's offered aftermarket and is applicable to other OEM vehicles, it isn't going anywhere.  

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3 hours ago, akirby said:


The main thing you’re missing is the electronics for this are already in the vehicles - nothing has to be added.  And I don’t think this is targeted at heavy duty trucks - I think it’s targeted at smaller transit and super duty fleets.  You buy 10 Transits and sign up for services with zero up front investment.  Brother in law has 8 crews running super duties all over the country and this would be perfect for him.

 

True, but it's also true for all modern vehicles.  The system we use is consists of a small module that plugs in-line to the vehicles ALDL or diagnostic connector.  I do agree that Ford's system might have appeal to a small Ford-only fleet, but most fleets, even small ones, would not like being 'married' to one make of vehicle.

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Well my two cents- IMO 7M3 and Gearhead grrl both nail the issue.  I was all bent out of shape when I read about this earlier today on both Seeking Alpha  and Ford Authority.  

 

What Ford has  done is create another layer of overhead.  Just think- Ford Pro has its own HR  chief...

brilliant!  But  I will say this- looks like a lot of "diversity" objectives have been met.  

 

Anyone on this team have  any commercial truck or logistics experience?  Don't think so.  And AK you think your brother in law is going to really benefit from this new organization?  I doubt it.  And you can bet that the DHL's, Amazons etc of the world  already have a ton of info on their fleet performance.?  And do you think the landscaping contractor with 5 or 6 class 4/5 trucks -who I think is rthe typical target-is going to spend a lot of time looking at his "fleet performance"???   No...more like .."Why the f*** did it take you  1.5 hrs today  to mow the Jones lawn".

 

Let's face it, looks  to  me that Farley thinks this will make for favorable reviews from the "industry analysts" who are clueless but will be very impressed by ..."Farley's focus on the need for total connectivity, as demonstrated by this bold move".   Let me think-did I leave out any key buzzwords.

 

In the meantime I heard from a dealer friend that air brakes on 7.3 powered 650/750's will be delayed another year because the 7.3 has such high underhood temps that the plumbing (hose assemblies) are not capable of withstanding the temps.  Amazing-in this day and age Ford can't find an off the shelf product that will work???

 

Completely clueless.

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1 hour ago, 7Mary3 said:

 

True, but it's also true for all modern vehicles.  The system we use is consists of a small module that plugs in-line to the vehicles ALDL or diagnostic connector.  I do agree that Ford's system might have appeal to a small Ford-only fleet, but most fleets, even small ones, would not like being 'married' to one make of vehicle.


Can your obd-II add-on get the fuel level, battery charge state or tire pressures like Fordpass?  Ford has included the cell modem and integrated the software with the vehicle software to get data that isn’t normally available to 3rd party devices.  
 

And I still think this is targeted to smaller fleets like governments who either already buy or would be willing to buy all Fords to get this functionality especially since it would not require any upfront investment.  Buy the vehicles, sign up for monthly service and you’re up and running.

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1 hour ago, akirby said:


Can your obd-II add-on get the fuel level, battery charge state or tire pressures like Fordpass?  Ford has included the cell modem and integrated the software with the vehicle software to get data that isn’t normally available to 3rd party devices.  
 

And I still think this is targeted to smaller fleets like governments who either already buy or would be willing to buy all Fords to get this functionality especially since it would not require any upfront investment.  Buy the vehicles, sign up for monthly service and you’re up and running.

I do not know for a fact it can (we don't use it), but that information is accessible through the ALDL.  Heck, my wife's old Yukon gives her a monthly vehicle report through OnStar with all that information right to her cell phone.

 

Yes, I do see a benefit for small all-Ford fleets though. 

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23 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Anyone on this team have  any commercial truck or logistics experience? 

 

Not directly, but Ghadiali and Singh have experience in fleet management technologies. Additionally, both of them plus Kumar worked on electric vehicle and/or autonomous vehicle projects at Ford, which are already having an impact on the commercial truck and logistics industries.

Edited by rperez817
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26 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Sorry Ford, but having the latest whiz-bang fleet management app doesn't make the 3 decades old Econoline, stripped chassis without a diesel option, and pickup cabbed medium truck that isn't even available with tandem real axles suddenly competitive...


Good thing they have very competitive F150, F150 Lightning, Transit, E-Transit, Transit Connect, F250 and F350s.

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8 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

Not directly, but Ghadiali and Singh have experience in fleet management technologies. Additionally, both of them plus Kumar worked on electric vehicle and/or autonomous vehicle projects at Ford, which are already having an impact on the commercial truck and logistics industries.

Thx for  that info-unfortunately, I see nothing but attention to bells and whistles and a lot less attention to vehicle capability.  Bells and whistles are nice, but to the guy running a small fleet, its  capability ("get up and go"?) that is of more concern than accumulating statistics.  "Paralysis through analysis"

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20 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Thx for  that info-unfortunately, I see nothing but attention to bells and whistles and a lot less attention to vehicle capability.  Bells and whistles are nice, but to the guy running a small fleet, its  capability ("get up and go"?) that is of more concern than accumulating statistics.  "Paralysis through analysis"


Come on Bob - the vehicle teams are the ones paying attention to vehicle capability.  That’s not changing.  This is an add-on product that Ford is marketing to fleets as an alternative to the big 3rd party systems that require a big up front investment.

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11 minutes ago, akirby said:


Come on Bob - the vehicle teams are the ones paying attention to vehicle capability.  That’s not changing.  This is an add-on product that Ford is marketing to fleets as an alternative to the big 3rd party systems that require a big up front investment.

AK- I guess my problem is I have a tough time accepting fact that Ford will  truly be bringing something new to the table.  And correct me if i'm wrong but the technology is linked specifically to a Ford vehicle-that is if its a mixed bag fleet,  the brand x vehicles don't link up.

 

But I  still say, Farley is "playing to the galleries".  "Hey Wall Street, look how smart we are- killing ICE's, and we are so committed to technology, we are even adding another layer of management"

 

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26 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

AK- I guess my problem is I have a tough time accepting fact that Ford will  truly be bringing something new to the table.  And correct me if i'm wrong but the technology is linked specifically to a Ford vehicle-that is if its a mixed bag fleet,  the brand x vehicles don't link up.

 

But I  still say, Farley is "playing to the galleries".  "Hey Wall Street, look how smart we are- killing ICE's, and we are so committed to technology, we are even adding another layer of management"

 


You guys are thinking in terms of large and/or heavy duty fleets that buy multiple makes and already have systems.  I don’t think this is what they’re targeting.

 

Think a police dept with a fleet of explorers.  Plumbers or electricians with a fleet of Transits or Super Duties.  Courier/delivery services with a fleet of Transit Connects.  City government with a fleet of F150s.  Ford can offer these small fleets the same type of services the big boys get even if they only have a few vehicles and there is no upfront investment.  Just buy Fords and sign up for the monthly service.  Cancel any time.  It’s a new market opportunity and it gives Ford an advantage in that market since there is no additional cost to the vehicles - the technology is already included.

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9 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

What happens when they need a truck with tandem rear axles, a cabover refuse truck, etc.? Nearly every city of over 10,000 population has some or all of the above, not to mention construction equipment...


If they aren’t monitored today they won’t be monitored tomorrow.  But all the other vehicles I mentioned can be monitored.  The police don’t care where the dump truck is or how it’s maintained.

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Ford is late to the party- Rockwell came out with data recorders for big trucks in the 80s, UPS went to electronic logbooks and data gathering with USPS not far behind in the 90s. While Ford is just now developing a system for their limited range of trucks, International has had a system out for years that is so attractive that most of the trucks it's installed on  aren't Internationals and VW Group has adopted it as their worldwide standard. Given that VW Group will probably rescue Ford, it might be smart for Ford to simply adopt International's system... But that doesn't dramatically puff up the value of Ford stock to the benefit of a bunch of soon to retire Ford executives stockpiling stock options.

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8 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Ford is late to the party- Rockwell came out with data recorders for big trucks in the 80s, UPS went to electronic logbooks and data gathering with USPS not far behind in the 90s. While Ford is just now developing a system for their limited range of trucks, International has had a system out for years that is so attractive that most of the trucks it's installed on  aren't Internationals and VW Group has adopted it as their worldwide standard. Given that VW Group will probably rescue Ford, it might be smart for Ford to simply adopt International's system... But that doesn't dramatically puff up the value of Ford stock to the benefit of a bunch of soon to retire Ford executives stockpiling stock options.


You didn’t read anything I wrote.  This works without buying or adding anything to the vehicle.  Zero up front investment and it provides more information and functions than those 3rd party systems.  

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18 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Sorry Ford, but having the latest whiz-bang fleet management app doesn't make the 3 decades old Econoline, stripped chassis without a diesel option, and pickup cabbed medium truck that isn't even available with tandem real axles suddenly competitive...

 

As Ford makes the transition to 100% electric vehicles, including commercial vehicles, those uncompetitive products will be discontinued. At that point, hopefully Ford Pro's service and software offerings will be more extensive.

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