Ford Archives

Ford elects Jim Hackett as new president and CEO

There has been a major shake up at Ford Motor Company. Rumours of President and CEO of the Blue Oval, Mark Fields, being fired was rife these past few days. Many speculated that Ford’s global performance shortcomings played a part in him being axed from his post.

Ford however, released a press release stating that Mark Fields, after a 28-year career at the company has elected to retire and vacate his position as the top man of the American based automaker, which will be filled by his successor, Jim Hackett.

Hackett, 62 was the former CEO of Steelcase, Interim Athletic Director at the University of Michigan and until June 1st, executive chairman of Ford Smart Mobility LLC. Reporting directly to Executive Chairman Bill Ford, he will lead the automaker’s worldwide operations and 202,000 workforce for the foreseeable future.

“We’re moving from a position of strength to transform Ford for the future. Jim Hackett is the right CEO to lead Ford during this transformative period for the auto industry and the broader mobility space. He’s a true visionary who brings a unique, human-centered leadership approach to our culture, products and services that will unlock the potential of our people and our business,” Bill Ford said.

Hackett and Bill will place a lot of emphasis on three priorities at the company, which are sharpening operational execution across the global business, modernising Ford’s global business and transforming the company to meet future challenges.

Speaking of the contribution of Mark Fields, Bill said, “Mark Fields has been an outstanding leader and deserves a lot of credit for all he has accomplished in his many roles around the globe at Ford,” Bill Ford said. “His strong leadership was critical to our North American restructuring, our turnaround at the end of the last decade, and our record profits in the past two years.”

Other shake ups at the company include Jim Farley being appointed as executive vice president and president of Global Markets, Joe Hinrichs as executive vice president and president of Global Operations, Marcy Klevorn as executive vice president and president of Mobility, Mark Truby as vice president of Communications and Paul Ballew as Global Chief Data and Analytics Officer.

These new appointments will be made effective on 1st June 2017 and with these major changes Ford hopes to strengthen its position as a key player in the global automotive market.

Ford to invest $350 million in USA transmission plant

Ford has been investing huge sums of money to bolster its production in the USA with the latest being $350 million (RM1.5 billion) in its Livonia Transmission Plant. Doing so, will allow the automaker to offer a new transmission to expand its lineup of fuel-efficient powertrains.

The impact of this will include creating or retaining 800 hourly jobs to support production of the new transmission. Though the some of these jobs will be filled this year, most of them are expected to be filled sometime in the next two years.

The money that will be poured into the Livonia Transmission Plant is in addition to the $1.4 billion (RM 6.1 billion) and 500 created or retained hourly jobs announced for the plant in 2016 to support production of a new 10-speed transmission for the 2017 F-150 Raptor as well as other F-150 trucks.

“We remain committed to American manufacturing and investing in our people and facilities,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. “Even as the industry’s largest employer of hourly workers in the United States and biggest producer of American-made vehicles, we believe it is important to continue investing right here in our home market.”

Since the beginning of this year, Ford has allocated $2.25 billion (RM 9.73 billion) in new investments for its facility in Michigan. The blue oval has spent $12 billion (RM 51.9 billion) in its US based plants and created 28,000 jobs in the last five years.

This pattern proves that Ford’s fortifying its home base to ensure that production stays constant and to cement its commitment in boosting the US economy and workforce.

Ford to roll out hybrid pursuit sedan soon

Ford has developed a police spec hybrid pursuit vehicle for Police departments in the US. Called the Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan, the vehicle features clever tech that help it save fuel and put less strain on the car’s engine when it comes to powering the various electronic equipment.

Under the the bonnet is a 2.0-litre Atkinson-cycle engine and an electric motor which is powered by a lithium-ion battery. Ford says, that the car can run on pure electric power at speeds of up to 100km/h. It will switch between electric, petrol or a combination of both (hybrid) as and when necessary to ensure police officers have the performance needed to respond to emergency situations.

The Blue Oval also says that the car will be able to cover more than double the distance of a regular petrol-only pursuit vehicle but with the same amount of fuel. This can be attributed to the use of a lithium-ion battery pack that helps power the electrical systems and putting less of burden on the engine especially when the vehicle is stationary.

This pursuit sedan is one of 13 electrified vehicles that will be introduced to the market in the next 5 years. Others include a hybrid F-150 pick-up, hybrid version of the Mustang, plug-in hybrid Transit, all-electric small SUV and a hybrid powered self-driving vehicle which has not been named.

“Electrifying our next generation of vehicles is core to our unwavering commitment to sustainability,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. “By being a leader in electrified vehicles, we remain committed to delivering cars, trucks and SUVs that are better not only for our customers, but for the environment and society as well.”

Ford has poured $4.5 billion dollars into its alternative energy campaign with the hopes offering general consumers the vehicles that are most useful to them. Though the launch dates of these various vehicles are still far off, the hybrid pursuit sedan will be made available for purchase by various police departments as early as the middle of next year.

Ford denotes Kuga and Mondeo to Monfort Boys Town

Ford and its Malaysian partner, Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) have presented two Ford vehicles to the Montfort Boys Town in Selangor as part of its Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants Programme.

Montfort Boys Town provides practical vocational training to underprivileged youth. And with the required help, its students will attain the tools and skills they need to live a product life in society. It’s school currently provides Automotive After Sales and Service training which it calls Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM). Currently, the school only offers level one (SKM 1) and two (SKM 2) of the training programme but with the newly acquired vehicles and equipment from Ford, it hopes to introduce a level three programme or SKM 3.

A Ford Kuga Mondeo were handed over Montfort Boys Town as well as training equipment to aid the students in gaining practical knowledge and skills for them to become successful automotive technicians.

“Ford is proud to support the Montfort Boys Town and help further build on the learning opportunities and practical training and experience they can provide to their students,” said Bagus Susanto, managing director, Asia Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company.

“Ford Conservation and Environmental Grants Programme is part of our continued investment in the social and economic development of our country. We hope our contribution will help the students gain the necessary skills and knowledge to enter the workforce and propel their future careers,” added Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, managing director, Sime Darby Auto Connexion.

Ford’s Conservation and Environmental Grants programme which was launched in 2000, showcases the company’s commitment to support local communities in the country. As part of this effort, Ford conducts a Global Caring Month annually. Last year, volunteers from Ford and SDAC visited the Lovely Bursing Centre in PJ, where they spent time with the elderly, repainted the facility and donated various supplies.

Class-action lawsuit filed against Ford’s ‘track ready’ Shelby GT350

Ford’s new Mustang, the Shelby GT350 isn’t thoroughly enjoying its time in the land of the free. Based on news articles published by Business Wire and Car Throttle, several owners of the Shelby GT350 have qualms regarding the Blue Oval marketing the car as ‘track ready’. Apparently, several owners have found out that their GT350s started overheating after spending just 15 minutes on track. These overheating claims are from customers who have bought the base car and those fitted with the Technology Pack.

Several of them have filed a class-action lawsuit against, what they believe is, Ford’s misleading claims of the Shelby GT350 being track ready. They feel that if Ford approved them for track use, then these vehicles should be able to hold up to all kinds of abuse at racing speeds. The complaints of overheating surrounds that of the transmission and rear differentials. Lawyers of the unhappy owners also say that they require compensation from Ford on behalf of the owners of these vehicles.

The Shelby GT350 is a rear-wheel-drive muscle car from Ford that features a 5.2-litre V8 engine that puts out about 526bhp and 429Nm of torque. Considered as a well balanced muscle car when compared to previous generations, the latest Shelby GT350 has been a hit in the US and abroad. If the GT350 nameplate seems familiar, it should because it was used back in the days of the original car, which was also pushed to its limits on tracks all around the US.

How Ford responds to this lawsuit remains to be seen but as of now, Ford has not offered to rectify these issues albeit internal investigations are probably underway to figure out the root cause of the problems.

Source: Business Wire, Car Throttle

Ford Driving Skills for Life programme aims to create better drivers

The Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) programme by Ford, which it has organised in Asia for the past 10 years, is meant to educate drivers of the importance of road safety. This year, organised in conjunction with local distributor of Ford vehicles, Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), saw over 140 Malaysian drivers taking part to better understand how to deal with different types of situations whiel driving.

According to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), 7,152 people were killed out of the 521,466 road accidents that were reported last year. And as such, the automaker and its local distributor believe programmes such as this will help drivers be more vigilant while on the road which would in turn, reduce the number of road accidents reported each year.

Those who attended this year’s DSFL included members of the CitiCLub by CitiBank, employees of Sime Darby Berhad, fans of Ford Malaysia’s social media channel, as well as members of the general public. The six half-day training session workshop was conducted by a panel of safety experts and was held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS).

“Driving Skills for Life is designed to equip drivers with the skills they need to be better and safer on the road. Road safety is a very serious issue and we feel it is our responsibility to help reinforce this message among Malaysian motorists,” said Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, Managing Director, Sime Darby Auto Connexion.

During the workshop, attendees were made aware of the risks that drivers face while on the road, dealing with unexpected situations, the peril of distracted driving such as the use of mobile phones while behind the wheel, hands-on driver training that covers hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed/space management, and distraction awareness.

DSFL is free-of-charge and is part of Ford’s global corporate social responsibility programme. Besides Malaysia, the automaker conducts this awareness programme in a number of countries such as China, India, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Ford issue safety recall for Mustang in North America

The Blue Oval has decided to issue a safety compliance recall for about 6,000 of the 2017 Ford Mustang cars made, for an inspection of the left interior door handle return spring. Apparently, cars affected by the recall may have had their left-hand door handle built with a disoriented return spring which could increase the potential for the return spring to become unseated.

According to the company, if the return spring does become unseated, during a side-impact crash, the impact experienced by the interior door handle may cause the door to unlatch and inturn increase the risk of injury.

As of now, there are no reports of any accidents or injuries that are related to this issue. There are about 5,470 affected vehicles in the United States, 20 in Mexico and 266 in Canada. These vehicles were built at Ford’s facility at Flat Rock Assembly Plant from January 13, 2017 to January 31, 2017.

Ford named one of world’s most ethical companies for eighth time

The Blue Oval’s green practices have not gone unnoticed

Ethisphere Institute named Ford in its list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the eighth year in succession. The Michigan based automotive giant has long been committed to reducing its environmental footprint and has forged a partnership with suppliers by sharing its sustainability practices with them.

Ford calls it The Partnership for A Cleaner Environment (PACE) which originally focused on water and energy conservation. Now however, the company’s practices include reducing waste, carbon dioxide and air emissions.

Though such sustainability practices have been implemented for quite a while at the company’s manufacturing sites, it’s only recently that it began roping in its legion of suppliers to adopt greener methods for the completion of their day-to-day activities. Ford’s programme to suppliers include tools to help them reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and waste while help making water and energy consumption more efficient. Some of the practices that Ford wants its suppliers to inculcate in their strive for greener efficiency is to include optimising cooling tower operations, reducing compressed air usage in manufacturing operations and eliminating single-pass cooling systems.

More than 40 companies have officially joined the PACE programme which means that close to 1,100 supplier sites in more than 40 countries will have the technical know-how on how to reduce waste, carbon dioxide and water consumption while increasing efficiency.

Speaking of the programme, Marty Wroten who is senior manager of Ford Supply Chain Sustainability, said, “As a company, it’s important that we make quality products and minimise the impact on the environment by doing things the right way. Having suppliers that want to share that responsibility shows we can work together to reduce our collective environmental footprint, while still continuing to deliver great products.”

As part of the PACE programme, Ford offers monitoring tools that help suppliers track and achieve their own sustainability goals, which will allow them to share their environmental progress report and best practices.

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Ford

Ford elects Jim Hackett as new president and CEO

Ford to invest $350 million in USA transmission plant

Ford to roll out hybrid pursuit sedan soon

Ford denotes Kuga and Mondeo to Monfort Boys Town

Class-action lawsuit filed against Ford’s ‘track ready’ Shelby GT350

Ford Driving Skills for Life programme aims to create better drivers

Ford issue safety recall for Mustang in North America

Ford named one of world’s most ethical companies for eighth time

Video: Ford GT racer hits the track

Ford Memperkenalkan Mustang Edisi Khas untuk Meraikan Ulang Tahun ke-60

Ford Unveils Special Edition Mustang to Celebrate 60th Anniversary

NTSB Menyiasat Kemalangan Maut Berpotensi Melibatkan Teknologi BlueCruise Ford

NTSB Investigates Fatal Crash Potentially Involving Ford’s BlueCruise Technology

SDAC-Ford Menguasai Pasaran Trak Pikap Malaysia dengan Rekod Jualan

SDAC-Ford Dominates Malaysian Pickup Market with Record Sales and Expansion

SDAC Lancarkan Program Jaminan bagi Model Ford Terpakai

SDAC Launches Assurance Programme for Pre-Owned Ford Models

Ford Memperkenalkan Ranger MS-RT Untuk Pasaran Pickup Eropah

Ford Unveils Ranger MS-RT For European Pickup Market

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