FORD QUALITY

FORD QUALITY

With added benefits like a quieter ride, improved handling and luxury craftsmanship, Ford Motor Company is focused on putting quality first by building vehicles that are more connected, help protect occupants or help prevent accidents before they occur. Year by year, Ford has made significant and consistent strides to improve quality through a renewed commitment that touches every aspect of the vehicle process – from design to manufacturing to product launch. The cumulative effect of these disciplined, global quality standards earned Ford a record-breaking year, with 102 accolades for quality in 2007.

Combining customer feedback with advanced technologies has allowed Ford to further boost initial quality and longer-term reliability, resulting in dramatically improved owner satisfaction. According to research by RDA Group (April 2008), Ford is in a statistical dead heat with Toyota & Honda in initial quality. The quarterly study measures customer feedback from drivers of Ford vehicles as well as competitive makes and models and is commissioned by Ford.

INVESTING IN QUALITY

Quality Operating System Coordinators ensure that Ford accelerates quality.

Several of Ford’s powertrain plant employees received Six Sigma Black Belt training under a new program that formalizes the Quality Operating System Coordinator (QOSC) position. The positions, which give UAW members control over quality, were first introduced in the early 2000s as a one-year experiment, but quickly became an integral part of quality management.

The QOSCs finished their Black Belt coursework and will take the mandatory tests to achieve the prestigious Six Sigma Black Belt certification, with the goal of having at least two Black Belts per plant. The number of QOSCs per plant varies depending upon size, product and volume, but on average there are six per plant.

The QOSCs devote 100 percent of their workday to monitoring quality process and procedure adherence and cannot be pulled from their job to replace an absent employee on the line. They ensure that every employee at every station understands precisely what they need to do and how to do it.

Since the introduction of QOSCs, Ford’s rating in initial and long-term quality surveys has seen an upward trend. Ford’s brand went up by eight points over last year, beating the industry seven-point rate of improvement, according to J.D. Powers and Associate’s Initial Quality Study. Shortly thereafter, the Global Quality Research System durability study noted that Ford brand improved at a rate of 3 percent verses the industry average of 1 percent.

Released 2008-06-27

HUGE STRIDES IN QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

The popular Ford Focus bests industry segment average as most improved model.

A top industry study named Ford Focus the most improved model in the industry. The 2008 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study by J.D. Power and Associates showed that Focus gained 88 index points over last year.

With the biggest improvement score in the industry, Focus performed better across all categories with significant improvements in the areas of fuel economy, audio/entertainment/navigation, interior styling and exterior styling.
Earning a 36-index point improvement was the Ford Escape, which put the strong seller in the top 10 of most improved vehicles in the industry. Five Ford Motor Company vehicles received second or third honors in their segments:

Ford Explorer Sport Trac, 2nd place in Midsize Pickup segment
Mazda CX7, 2nd place in Compact Multi-Activity Vehicle (MAV) segment
Mazda CX9, 2nd place in Midsize MAV segment
Ford Focus, 3rd place in Compact Car segment
Lincoln Navigator, 3rd place in Large Premium MAV segment

Overall, Ford moved up five positions to 22nd, with a 14-point improvement. Lincoln checked in at 12th place and Mercury placed 29th, improving by 12 index points.

Released 2008-06-27

FORD BRAND QUALITY

Ford brand quality improves at a rate faster than the industry average.

JD Power Award Year after year, Ford continues to make significant quality gains. According to the latest third-party study by J.D. Power and Associates, Ford’s brand vehicles increased in quality faster than the industry average.

Continuing its five-year upward trend and beating the industry average seven-point rate of improvement, Ford brand improved by eight points over last year’s study. Mercury improved by four points over last year, and the Lincoln brand exceeded the industry average. The Mazda brand improved the most, jumping 36 points from the 2007 study.

The Ford Motor Company received 10 vehicle honors, including three vehicles that scored highest rankings in their respective segments. They are:

Lincoln Navigator, large premium multi-activity vehicle segment
Ford E-Series, van segment
Mazda MX5 Miata, compact sporty car segment

The 2008 Initial Quality Study (IQS) by J.D. Power and Associates is based on responses from 81,500 new 2008 model-year vehicle owners after having driven their vehicles for three months.

Released 2008-06-06

QUALITY TESTING GOES GREEN

Ford upgrades its test high-speed track using an environmentally friendly approach.

When the 52-year old high-speed test track at Ford’s Michigan Proving Ground undergoes its $13 million dollar reconstruction, it will prevent 130,000 tons of debris from going to local landfills by reusing almost every bit of existing material.

The track is critical to Fords’ quality assurance process as it is used for a wide range of vehicle quality testing and handling in real-world conditions. Because green construction recycles and reuses materials promptly instead of trucking in new materials each day, construction time is slashed. In fact, the track is expected to re-open in autumn.

To make the overhaul as green as possible, an onsite crusher will process the old asphalt and concrete track into a recycled aggregate usable for road construction. After improvements are made to increase the cross-slope of the track to enhance the existing water drainage system, the recycled aggregate pavement (RAP) will be placed eight inches thick, compacted and covered with four layers of asphalt.

The bottom two layers will use 40 percent RAP, the maximum allowed under Michigan Department of Transport. The third layer incorporates 25 percent RAP and the final layer is new mix for optimal quality control.

Additionally, the 20,420 linear foot guardrail will be reinstalled where possible, unusable steel beams will be sent to a recycling center and wood posts are mulched.

Released 2008-05-30

SMART SCREWDRIVERS

“Smart screwdrivers” spot quality issues on the line at Ford plants.

Ford’s screwdriver with a brain - a direct-current tool that fastens nuts and bolts and stops the line if the job isn’t done properly.

Between 200 and 400 computerized direct-current (DC) electric hand tools, affectionately called “screwdrivers with brains” by Ford employees, were installed in each Ford assembly plant over the last several years as an investment in quality. These new hand tools are currently in use at all Ford assembly plants in North America. The last installation was made at Wayne Assembly Plant in time for the launch of the 2008 Ford Focus.

Where a “smart screwdriver” differs from traditional assembly line air-driven guns is in its ability to tell the operator if all of the nut bolts are screwed into the vehicle the right way and at the exactly the right torque. They also reduce workers’ strain, ensure the correct parts are picked and allow for constant monitoring during the build, preventing errors and ensuring “critical-to-quality” assembly process is completed with precision.

If a lug nut is missing, the assembly line is stopped. To get the line restarted, one of two things must happen, either the process must be completed accurately, or a quality concern is sent to the Quality Leadership System (QLS) where the problem will be flagged and resolved before the vehicle is released from the plant.

Released 2008-04-22