Ford Starts Construction of Blue Oval City

[akirby]

2 hours ago, Gurgeh said:

I think we might be making too much of the "Director" issue. In today's corporate world of title inflation, isn't everyone at least a Director? Doesn't that just mean that Ford assigned someone to have a full time job overseeing the development of this site?

Director implies at least a 3rd level position reporting to a VP of some kind.  

[rperez817]

12 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Well once again I'm showing my age.  Obviously a huge responsibility-no argument-  but a "footprint director"? 

 

Per what j2sys shared, the role Mr. Grubb has at Ford focuses on operations management and strategies for greenfield facilities (as j2sys said, "expanding the footprint"). This requires a totally different skillset than what's needed to manage expansion or retooling of existing facilities.

[jflottawa]

6 hours ago, Gurgeh said:

Isn't everyone at least a Director?

 

I take offense to that.

 

J.F.

Director, Demo Solutions

(reporting to VP of Go to Market and Strategy)

 

??
 

Edited September 27, 2022 by jflottawa

[Bob Rosadini]

3 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

Per what j2sys shared, the role Mr. Grubb has at Ford focuses on operations management and strategies for greenfield facilities (as j2sys said, "expanding the footprint"). This requires a totally different skillset than what's needed to manage expansion or retooling of existing facilities.

Huh?....  We have beat this to  death- I apologize for my reaction to what I considered a woke title.  I think RP you have described what Mr Grubb did in his prior assignment .

I  think those are all skillsets needed AFTER the fact.  Grubb I thought was the guy at the highest level  ultimately   responsible for constructing the project ....the concrete was 4000 PSI, not 3000 psi!  And before the concrete  was poured  the base was prepared with the proper spec material and to the proper compaction etc.. 

He is building the place! He will not run it, he did not make the decision that the project fit corporate objectives.  At least as I see it through my old eyes.

 

I'm sitting now in my bunker with helmet and flak jacket on?

[akirby]

50 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Huh?....  We have beat this to  death- I apologize for my reaction to what I considered a woke title.  I think RP you have described what Mr Grubb did in his prior assignment .

I  think those are all skillsets needed AFTER the fact.  Grubb I thought was the guy at the highest level  ultimately   responsible for constructing the project ....the concrete was 4000 PSI, not 3000 psi!  And before the concrete  was poured  the base was prepared with the proper spec material and to the proper compaction etc.. 

He is building the place! He will not run it, he did not make the decision that the project fit corporate objectives.  At least as I see it through my old eyes.

 

I'm sitting now in my bunker with helmet and flak jacket on?

Remember this isn’t just a factory.  It’s a campus with multiple suppliers.  And it’s a totally new manufacturing process so the factory layout is different. Just the coordination between suppliers and governments is a full time job.  Not to mention the union.  This is a far more integrated  and complex process than you’re imagining.

 

[tarheels23]

Just glad Ford e is getting it in gear or should I say CVT?  ?

[rperez817]

1 hour ago, tarheels23 said:

Just glad Ford e is getting it in gear or should I say CVT?  ?

 

Direct drive, literally and figuratively. ?

[Bob Rosadini]

6 hours ago, akirby said:

Remember this isn’t just a factory.  It’s a campus with multiple suppliers.  And it’s a totally new manufacturing process so the factory layout is different. Just the coordination between suppliers and governments is a full time job.  Not to mention the union.  This is a far more integrated  and complex process than you’re imagining.

 

Trust me I get that.  But what plant today doesn't have multiple suppliers?  And a "campus" profile so the kanban process works even better.?

 

I'm watching the Willow Run story on history channel.  A B-24 an hour!  And everytime I watch this I pick up another detail.  Like Consolidated Vultee had no prints of the plane!

Ford sent 200 engineers to Calif. to go through files and produce drawings!  Amazing!

No kanban, no cad, no PC's or PLC's!

[jpd80]

On 9/28/2022 at 4:51 AM, akirby said:

Remember this isn’t just a factory.  It’s a campus with multiple suppliers.  And it’s a totally new manufacturing process so the factory layout is different. Just the coordination between suppliers and governments is a full time job.  Not to mention the union.  This is a far more integrated  and complex process than you’re imagining.

 

This is as close to vertical integration as Ford can get, excellent move IMO, the place is huge.

[Joe771476]

So Ford is going to be at the mercy of a South Korean company?  Hmm, let's see, we couldn't get chips, we haven't been able to get blue oval logo badges, now we're going to rely on another company to get batteries?  Sounds like sabotage to me.

[akirby]

54 minutes ago, Joe771476 said:

So Ford is going to be at the mercy of a South Korean company?  Hmm, let's see, we couldn't get chips, we haven't been able to get blue oval logo badges, now we're going to rely on another company to get batteries?  Sounds like sabotage to me.

Just stop with the xenophobia

[Bob Rosadini]

32 minutes ago, akirby said:

Just stop with the xenophobia

"Xenophobia"??  He mentions dependency for a key component on another distant source.  Were you not extolling the virtues of the "vertical integration" of the new plant in Tenn.??

 

Forgetting the "xenophobia" issue, I myself have to wonder just how our dependency on areas of the globe that have to be viewed with concern given the prevailing political climates could ultimately spell disaster for us.   

 

No doubt it is a world economy,  no doubt China  is THE market of the future, but....does it not make you think of the risks when you deal with regimes whose objectives are so opposed to our system.   

[AGR]

The last time I checked, South Korea was a democracy/free country and a staunch ally.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, Bob Rosadini said:

"Xenophobia"??  He mentions dependency for a key component on another distant source.  Were you not extolling the virtues of the "vertical integration" of the new plant in Tenn.??

 

Forgetting the "xenophobia" issue, I myself have to wonder just how our dependency on areas of the globe that have to be viewed with concern given the prevailing political climates could ultimately spell disaster for us.   

 

No doubt it is a world economy,  no doubt China  is THE market of the future, but....does it not make you think of the risks when you deal with regimes whose objectives are so opposed to our system.   

Dependency on China is a problem.  As AGR says S. Korea is a democracy and an ally.  But Joe has been railing against Toyota “taking over” NASCAR and generally hating on anything foreign, especially Asian.

[Sherminator98]

3 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

So Ford is going to be at the mercy of a South Korean company?  Hmm, let's see, we couldn't get chips, we haven't been able to get blue oval logo badges, now we're going to rely on another company to get batteries?  Sounds like sabotage to me.

 

Seriously? Its just like Tesla depending on Panasonic or GM depending on LG for batteries.

 

These are production facilities in the USA...not China or South Korea.

[jpd80]

4 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

So Ford is going to be at the mercy of a South Korean company?  Hmm, let's see, we couldn't get chips, we haven't been able to get blue oval logo badges, now we're going to rely on another company to get batteries?  Sounds like sabotage to me.

The big difference is that the batteries are manufactured on site at Blue Oval city, not in China or Korea.

This is actually eliminating the types of  supply issues you mentioned..

Edited October 1, 2022 by jpd80

[Bob Rosadini]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Dependency on China is a problem.  As AGR says S. Korea is a democracy and an ally.  But Joe has been railing against Toyota “taking over” NASCAR and generally hating on anything foreign, especially Asian.

I guess I just respond whenever the trigger word "xenophobia" is  thrown out.  

[jpd80]

I’ll be curious to see just who actual Lightning buyers are, Ford was suggesting that most (70%?) we’re conquests and not F150 buyers. So I wonder if GM EV Silverado buyers will be the same and who exactly are Cybertruck buyer…….are all of them the same group of buyers, people who want electric pickups but not exactly ICE truck buyers?

 

This is gonna get mighty interesting …..

[rperez817]

On 10/1/2022 at 6:49 PM, jpd80 said:

I’ll be curious to see just who actual Lightning buyers are, Ford was suggesting that most (70%?) we’re conquests and not F150 buyers. So I wonder if GM EV Silverado buyers will be the same and who exactly are Cybertruck buyer…….are all of them the same group of buyers, people who want electric pickups but not exactly ICE truck buyers?

 

F-150 Lightning has broad appeal. As you mentioned, the conquest rate for the truck is very high by Ford standards but it also attracts a lot of Ford loyalists/sheeple.

 

In fact, Autolist's 2021 survey found that F-150 Lightning was #1 in consideration among current and upcoming BEV pickup trucks for all of these buyer groups.

• Past/current BEV owners
• Past/current pickup truck owners
• People who have never owned a pickup truck before
• People in all age groups above 35 years

[jpd80]

All I’m saying is that current orders for F150 are running strongly as conquest buyers ~70% are new to F150, 30% are returning F150 buyers or Ford brand buyers. So any thought that F150 ICE buyers will be switching to Lightning en masse is extremely premature, this is clearly a new set of buyers that draws from previous F150 buyers but mostly “new buyers”.

 

I generally stay away from surveys about which EVs  people are likely to buy because the actual signed up buyer are more intersting.

Edited October 4, 2022 by jpd80

[akirby]

Without Bronco we still wouldn’t have Ranger.  Nor would we ha e Bronco Sport which also means no Maverick.  If only they made the Bronco decision a few years earlier.

[Bob Rosadini]

36 minutes ago, akirby said:

Without Bronco we still wouldn’t have Ranger.  Nor would we ha e Bronco Sport which also means no Maverick.  If only they made the Bronco decision a few years earlier.

And on whose shift did that failure to progress happen.  Just a history question.

[Sherminator98]

27 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

And on whose shift did that failure to progress happen.  Just a history question.

 

The Bronco return was supposed to happen over the past 20 years but the Explorer tire Fiasco and gas prices spiking in 2010 killed it.

There was a good podcast about the Bronco Called Bring Back Bronco and they cover all of this. 

 

The return of the Ranger helped participated it...it wasn't the other way around. 

 

 

 

 

[akirby]

37 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

And on whose shift did that failure to progress happen.  Just a history question.

Mullaly and Fields mostly.

[fuzzymoomoo]

31 minutes ago, akirby said:

Mullaly and Fields mostly.

IIRC it was Fields’ decision to pull Focus from MAP and move it to a new plant in Mexico that never ended up being built that cleared the way for Ranger, which was the bridge to get to Bronco.