Ford Motor Company is reorganising its product development and manufacturing operations as it seeks to accelerate the rollout of future vehicles and strengthen its long-term profitability.
The changes support Ford’s broader Ford+ strategy and its target of achieving an adjusted EBIT margin of 8 percent by 2029.
At the centre of the move is a newly formed Product Creation and Industrialization organisation. The unit combines responsibility for electric vehicles, digital systems and design with Ford’s global manufacturing operations. Leadership of the new organisation will sit with chief operating officer Kumar Galhotra, whose role will be to ensure new technologies progress more quickly from concept to mass production.
Ford said the streamlined structure is intended to simplify processes, improve quality and enable faster decision making. The company is preparing for an extensive product renewal cycle, with plans to refresh 80 percent of its North American vehicle range by volume and 70 percent of its global line up by the end of the decade. A key part of this programme will be the introduction of new models based on Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle platform.
The UEV platform has been developed by a small, advanced engineering team in California in the United States (US) operating with a high degree of autonomy. It is designed to improve efficiency and affordability while providing greater digital capability. Features such as a zonal electrical architecture, in house software and adaptable battery systems are expected to support a wide variety of future vehicles. Ford has already begun applying lessons from this work across its wider portfolio to reduce costs and update development methods.
Digital services are also expected to play a significantly larger role in Ford vehicles over the coming years. By 2030, the company forecasts that around 90 percent of its global vehicle volume will incorporate upgraded electrical systems, proprietary user interfaces and advanced connectivity that supports continuous improvement and expanded driver assistance features.
The reorganisation includes several senior leadership changes. Doug Field will depart the company after almost five years as chief EV, digital and design officer. Alan Clarke has been promoted to vice president of Advanced Development Projects, while Kieran Cahill will retire from his role overseeing manufacturing in Europe and IMG after a 37 year career.
Ford says the new organisation is designed to support the scaling of high quality, software defined vehicles while maintaining manufacturing discipline and global efficiency.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
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