F O R D

Found On Road Dead? OR First On Race Day?

Please ask me if I would own a Ford and I'll tell you...oh, yes! Is owning a Ford luxury transportation? Well, it's about a close as my family will get for awhile. Our beautiful customized Ford Van gets us where we want to go "in-style." So, how did my family overcome the fear of owning a Ford? We believe in the company's commitment to quality in the U.S. car market.

The Wall Street Journal recently discussed Ford's survival strategy--to really get into the U.S. small car market--and the challenges that Ford's "small car" strategy will encounter. However, nothing in the article addressed overcoming the quality problems that have lead to the car-buying public coining acronyms for Ford--like "Fix Or Repair Daily." But, Ford didn't write this article.

Honestly, Ford may still have a long way to go to fully restore confidence in U.S. car-buyers, but the company is making great strides. Check out the July 12, 2008 article, "Top 10 Ford Motor Company Quality Success Stories" on Ford's website. This release proudly boasts, "The quality of Ford brand vehicles soared to the top of the charts, equalling that of Toyota and Honda, according to 2008 U.S. Global Quality Research Systems." The other nine success stories are equally impressive. The second success story particularly caught my eye..."virtual technology expertise worth sharing," because of its focus on line operators, ergonomics and efficiency. Ford may have found its golden nugget--leveraging its human capital.

Ford's website describes an "Investing in Quality" initiative to "ensure that Ford accelerates quality." Ford created the job, Quality Operating System Coordinator, first as a pilot position and then it became a permanent job. Quoting the website, this position provides a means for "UAW members to have control over quality." Ford is serious about quality--the individuals in this position must be Six Sigma Black Belts and Ford plans to have two such individuals in each plant (Ford digital snippets--available via the Investing in Quality link above).

Another great read is Bryce Hoffman's August 12, 2008 article in the Detroit News titled, "Ford jumps into quality race, Blue Oval adds training in vow to beat Toyota." This article confirms that Ford has fully committed to quality--and recognizes that its human capital is the way to get there! Quoting from the article, Ford has made the decision to "enroll hourly workers from each of its U.S. factories in a rigorous quality training program at Wayne State University that is usually reserved for managers." Wow!

So, maybe the old acronyms can be retired and replaced with "Found Organization's Real Driver"--its human capital. Go Ford!