New series of fact sheets demonstrate Ford’s achievements in quality.

Ford has recently launched an extensive series of fact sheets, aimed at documenting the strides Ford has made in designing, building and delivering quality vehicles. In fact, independent research from the 2009 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) survey shows that Ford’s quality surpasses Honda and is on par with Toyota.

The fact sheets reveal that Ford continues to be recognized for its quality gains. With 12 Ford Quality fact sheets in all, here are just a few of the highlights:

Designing Quality

• Customer insights – A Ford research team identifies, defines and priorities customer needs to deliver customer-driven value in the form of desirable new colors, intricate stitching on seat cushions and other luxurious details that connote quality. Ford also uses “haptics” –the science of measuring how customers sense quality through touch – to determine optimum comfort levels.
  
• Virtual design – Industry-exclusive tools allow Ford to quickly add various vehicle models into an existing facility, as well as evaluate tooling and product interfaces before costly installations are made on the plant floor. The result? Ford’s development time is now eight to 14 months faster than it was as recently as 2004. Other virtual technologies such as two virtual employees, nicknamed “Jack and Jill” provide data to predict and eliminate movements and fatigue concerns for workers, reducing manufacturing issues before prototypes are built.
  

Building Quality

• Error-proof manufacturing – Computerized Direct Current (CDC) electric hand tools, affectionately known as “screwdrivers with brains,” tell operators whether all nuts and bolts are screwed into the vehicle at the right torque in precisely the right way.
  
• Electrical system process checks – Ford’s end-of-line trials and current- based testing are major components of the pre-delivery process and have made Ford’s electrical systems the best among competitors.
  
• Safety and security – Ford builds every vehicle with a focus not just on surviving crashes but avoiding them in the first place, which is why Ford is a consistent safety leader, earning five-star ratings.
  

Delivering Quality

• Seat comfort – In addition to passing Ford’s industry-leading safety tests, Ford is committed to vehicle comfort. Case in point, Ford’s new Multi-Contour Seating with Active Motion™, available in the 2010 Taurus, gives the driver and front seat passenger a subtle massage designed to reduce fatigue. Seven inflatable bladders in each of the seats provide 6-way lumbar support, lumbar massage with a gently rolling pattern and “active motion” of the seat cushion.
  
• Interior quietness – In four years, Ford’s wind noise rating has risen to best in class, according to GQRS. Ford achieved this due to the efforts of a manufacturing/product development team focused on closure systems.
  
• Paint pioneers – Ford is pioneering new technologies, including an environmentally friendly anti-corrosion system that cuts paint shop water use nearly in half and reduces sludge production by 90 percent, as well as a three-part wet application process that reduces CO2 emissions by 15 percent. Ford leads the industry with fewer paint chips and scratches and better long-term durability, according to GQRS.
  
  Download Ford Quality Fact Sheets
  
  Flexible Manufacturing (.pdf)
  
  Lean Product Development (.pdf)
  
  Multi-Contour Seats (.pdf)
  
  Quality: Beauty from the Outside In (.pdf)
  
  Quality: Coating, Color and Appearance Say A Lot About Your Car – And You (.pdf)
  
  Quality: Listening to Customers Creates the Voice of the Vehicle
  
  Quality: Predicting the Future (Without a Crystal Ball) (.pdf)
  
  Quality: Seeing Form and Function in a New Light (.pdf)
  
  Quality: Taurus – More Than Just a Pretty Face (.pdf)
  
  Quality: The Touching Tale of Haptics
  
  Quality: Your Single Greatest Touch Point is Behind You
  
  Quotes
  
  “We want our customers to be thrilled with the paint on their vehicle from the day they drive it off the lot to the next month, the next year and far beyond. We know they like to make a statement with their vehicles, and an appealing, durable and lasting paint finish helps deliver that.” - Tim Weingartz, Ford Paint Materials Manager
  
  “Understanding what customers will want and need tomorrow – or even next year – isn’t enough. We have to anticipate needs and desires farther out, so we can deliver to our customers in the best ways possible.” - Sheryl Connelly, Ford’s Global Trend Manager
  
  “We know what quality sounds like because customers have told us. They’ve identified the difference between a ‘plasticky’ sound versus one that is solid and secure. We know the metrics of each, and we design to create those sounds customer prefer.” - Mark Vojtisek, Ford Manager of Vehicle integration