Virtual Technology Translates into Real Life Customer Satisfaction
Ford Motor Company’s virtual manufacturing technology allows engineers to take a more holistic view of the product development process as they constantly improve the vehicle’s design and quality. It’s this virtual technology that is one of the key factors behind Ford’s impressive improvement in initial quality levels for the third straight year.
Ford uses customer input to develop engineering design specifications in its digital pre-assembly laboratory. Here, math-based tools are used to check more than 20,000 design elements on a computer screen to ensure they meet the customer-imposed standards.
From there, computer-aided design (CAD) plans are sent to a 3-D visualization center, which Ford calls its “Virtual Build Arena”. This is where the launch team gathers to “build” the vehicle on a virtual assembly line. Using data from the pre-assembly lab, the team observes virtual employees – nicknamed “Jack and Jill” – assemble the vehicle part by part, providing critical ergonomic data as they go.
Jack and Jill personify Ford’s advanced motion capture technology using human modeling software. This ergonomic technology is used to design jobs that are less physically stressful on workers and result in high quality vehicles.
The 2006 Ford Fusion was Ford’s first “digital car.” Building the vehicle first in a virtual factory, using the full suite of digital tools, allowed engineers to spot potential issues earlier on long before a prototype was ever built, eliminating months of product development, saving money and bringing the car to market sooner.
For customers, such advances in virtual engineering have helped the company improve reliability. In 2007 alone, Ford was able to slash $900 million in warranty expenses because of fewer dealer repairs after cars and trucks left the factory.
