akirby Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Get ready for some big time knee-jerk slash and burn. I don't see that at all. This is more about product and investment strategy. I'd like to see the quality issues addressed - they can do that immediately. Product changes will take a couple of years or more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Yeah, this ain't gonna end well. If Fields represented a return to 'bad old Ford' days, then, I'm sorry, but replacing Fields with an ex-director from a thoroughly unrelated industry, because you want to accelerate your 'transition to a mobility' company, is ALSO a return to 'bad old Ford' days. Steelcase? C'mon. What does overpriced office furniture have to do with cars. Sex on wheels sells...but yea..wheels on a filing cabinet just isnt quite the same...completly with RJ here...kinda head scratcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 You serious? Mulally had 1) shown his ability as a crisis manager after 9/11, and 2) manufacturing planes involves coordinating a global supply chain that has to provide subassemblies on time and on budget to assembly plants. What's Mr. Steelcase going to do? "Well, in the office supply business, whenever the margins got tight, we came up with a cool looking but surprisingly uncomfortable chair, charged a ridiculous price for it, and sold a ton of them to startups that went belly-up because they bought overpriced products from us." Mulally an engineer and from an industry with unbelievable complexity I would imagine to bring it all together. Mr Steelcase, a finance guy-and as for his 20 years at Steelcase, only thing I can relate to is I know guys in the commercial building/ownership world. They have tenants all the time who walk away from a lease and leave their furniture behind. And the new tenants?? "Nope-we have a different layout"-or-"we don't want used stuff". Seems like office furniture is expendable-how tough a business is that? BTW I don't think this has as much to do with stock performance as it does being late to market with ecosport, ranger, bronco, expy, navi and aviator, too many recalls/poor quality and letting car sales dwindle much faster than the overall market due to lack of investments and changes. And some of those recalls were not just an issue involving a two bit part. Like the issue with one of the under 2 liter engines- can't remember what the issue is/was (coolant leak?) but a huge design flaw-on whose shift was that?? Since Mullaly left and Fields took over, I've noticed a big difference in how manufacturing is run. It's becoming more about cutting cost regardless of quality but don't let quality slip, which as you can probably tell is a ridiculous concept. And in the ~3 years since Fields took over, morale on the plant floor has plummeted. I'm not going to hold my breath on anything changing any time soon, but I hope it does, starting with better communication like for one stop acting like telling your employees what's going on is a matter of National security and you need to be president to hear it. You can only chop so much out of the system and sooner or later the pigeons come home to roost. And again, Fields was not an engineer or a guy with any heavy manufacturing responsibility-at least I don't think he had any. And if in fact Fields had no clue as to the sense of the attitudes of the troops on the shop floor, good riddance. I want to buy something from a company whose employees are on board with everything the company is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Forgetting about Hackett for now, how about the new management structure? Seems that Farley and Hinrichs will have a major say in the company’s future. I listened to the press conference and Bill Ford and Hackett seem sincere in wanting to drive decision making down to lower levels and to speed things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I don't see that at all. This is more about product and investment strategy. I'd like to see the quality issues addressed - they can do that immediately. Product changes will take a couple of years or more. Perhaps, but my fear is the real 'agent of change' will be to get the stock price up as quickly as possible, and all too often that means big, bold, and short-sighted maneuvers. Product investment may take some time to pay off, but investment strategy could be faster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 If all this guy does is hire his replacement, then this might work. Otherwise, not. good. I'd be surprised if he's the long-term pick,unless he "hires himself" into it long term, Cheney-style. But even on a short stay I'm not particularly thrilled with the choice or the reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 (edited) I'm not quite ready to drive an SUV in heavy city traffic and parallel park the bulky things. So if Ford drops cars like Chrysler did, I'll walk across street to Toyota/Honda next car. T/H are licking their chops, eager for Ford and GM to drop cars, since their labor costs are high. Then they can move them into bigger trucks, later. And do they expect middle class buyers to simply get used vehicles from now on? Only selling big expensive new trucks? Edited May 22, 2017 by 630land 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I'm not quite ready to drive an SUV in heavy city traffic and parallel park the bulky things. So if Ford drops cars like Chrysler did, I'll walk across street to Toyota/Honda next car. Get an Escape or Ecosport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosetang Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Forgetting about Hackett for now, how about the new management structure? Seems that Farley and Hinrichs will have a major say in the company’s future. I listened to the press conference and Bill Ford and Hackett seem sincere in wanting to drive decision making down to lower levels and to speed things up. While decentralizing might speed up local decision-making, it also has to potential to once again balkanize the company into warring fiefdoms as it was before Alan came in and put it right. A strong, smart CEO is needed to keep the overall company focused even if hey aren't micromanaging all the decision-making. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Perhaps, but my fear is the real 'agent of change' will be to get the stock price up as quickly as possible, and all too often that means big, bold, and short-sighted maneuvers. I agree that's what would drive a lot of companies with exactly the results you predict, but I don't see Ford doing that with Bill Ford and the Ford family still in control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Mr Steelcase, a finance guy-and as for his 20 years at Steelcase, only thing I can relate to is I know guys in the commercial building/ownership world. They have tenants all the time who walk away from a lease and leave their furniture behind. And the new tenants?? "Nope-we have a different layout"-or-"we don't want used stuff". Seems like office furniture is expendable-how tough a business is that? He seems to be widely recognized as an agent of change and transformation especially for older companies with a lot of legacy baggage. If that's true it could be a really good thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Will Eco Sport get 38 mpg highway? Anyway, we'll see what "magic" will occur. But, don't expect the "return of Panther" or any "GRWD", either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Fewer people, fewer sport products, more interaction with cell phones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Any way you look at it, Ford now has a new CEO and a new management structure. Time to accept that and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 It seems he was investing too heavily in the new stuff including plant shuffling and ignoring the current issues with products and quality. What should happen is they continue to invest in new stuff but maybe at a slower pace and use that cash to keep the current products competitive and get the missing stuff here sooner including Lincoln. Oh I agree for sure. That's what I was getting at - too much focus was being put on the new stuff while more or less putting the other stuff on cruise control with tires leaking air. Forgetting about Hackett for now, how about the new management structure? Seems that Farley and Hinrichs will have a major say in the company’s future. I listened to the press conference and Bill Ford and Hackett seem sincere in wanting to drive decision making down to lower levels and to speed things up. As long as there's communication between all departments as to what's going on, what each is working on, etc., it could work, but like someone said, there's concern about returning to fiefdoms from before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Get an Escape or Ecosport I drive my wife's Escape all the time. Hate it. If Ford were to have dropped or moved the Focus before I bought my American one, I might have thought about a Cruze or used Focus to replace it. Not everybody wants a top heavy SUV to drive everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I drive my wife's Escape all the time. Hate it. Why? It handles alot better (well feels better on its feet) then my 4500lb SHO and its easier to park to boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Black Label Lincolns will come with matching luggage. . ...and office furniture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Lover Posted May 22, 2017 Author Share Posted May 22, 2017 Oh I agree for sure. That's what I was getting at - too much focus was being put on the new stuff while more or less putting the other stuff on cruise control with tires leaking air. As long as there's communication between all departments as to what's going on, what each is working on, etc., it could work, but like someone said, there's concern about returning to fiefdoms from before. I don't think the fiefdoms will come back, at least not be design. Here's a quote from Hackett regarding Farley: "Farley comes back with a track record, not only in Ford Europe, of being transformative as well. But before he came to Ford he had a sterling career in inventing things. (He’s a) perfect partner for me to look at the status quo, in all of our markets, but also eases some of the span of control challenges that I saw so that I could have a smaller team," Hackett said of Farley. "So he’s going to take more responsibility." Sounds like he will embrace guys like Farley and look to build a small, nimble, collaborative team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I'm thinking Taurus will get cut after 2018 MY runs dry, as one 'bold move'. Maybe cut Fiesta sedan or all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlRozzi Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 It only took Fields 3 years to wipe out most of Alan's work and set Ford back 8 or 10 years. And Hackett, I am an auto enthusiast. I don't want either a self-driven taxi or an electric wheel chair. I have been with Ford all my life. Don't make me switch brands now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Why? It handles alot better (well feels better on its feet) then my 4500lb SHO and its easier to park to boot Top heavy. Can't carve the corners. Also can't stand the fact that I have a heated steering wheel in my Focus, but not in a 33k Titanium Escape. Back to the nickel and dime point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I like the fiesta and the focus...great lil grocery getters for not much coin outlay..hope they stay... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Also can't stand the fact that I have a heated steering wheel in my Focus, but not in a 33k Titanium Escape. Back to the nickel and dime point. Good point, and very strange since they share a platform. Does the C-Max have a heated steering wheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.