Jump to content

Ford overhauls Design


Recommended Posts

So this centralized team will do the high level overarching design standards and themes with the individual vehicle teams adapting that to their individual vehicle designs. I could see where that could speed things up a bit if each team is currently doing their designs from scratch.

 

Anything that gets new products out sooner is welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So this centralized team will do the high level overarching design standards and themes with the individual vehicle teams adapting that to their individual vehicle designs. I could see where that could speed things up a bit if each team is currently doing their designs from scratch.

 

Anything that gets new products out sooner is welcome.

 

If I'm understanding the article right, it'd also be nice for models to launch sooner after they're revealed, without the nearly year long delay we sometimes see between being shown at shows and arriving to customers.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If I'm understanding the article right, it'd also be nice for models to launch sooner after they're revealed, without the nearly year long delay we sometimes see between being shown at shows and arriving to customers.

You can easily fix that by not revealing them as early.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If I'm understanding the article right, it'd also be nice for models to launch sooner after they're revealed, without the nearly year long delay we sometimes see between being shown at shows and arriving to customers.

 

As pointed out already I think that's more of a scheduling issue.

 

The impression I got was that they want to be able to shorten the individual product development cycle by having predetermined design components and themes. By shortening the cycle you're shortening the time between final design and product launch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The impression I got was that they want to be able to shorten the individual product development cycle by having predetermined design components and themes. By shortening the cycle you're shortening the time between final design and product launch.

 

I was under the impression that the MCE was more or less baked in by the time the product launched...

 

For example, the 2018 MCE for the Mustang was pretty much completed around the time the 2015 launched and the next gen design is already started as of today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I was under the impression that the MCE was more or less baked in by the time the product launched...

 

For example, the 2018 MCE for the Mustang was pretty much completed around the time the 2015 launched and the next gen design is already started as of today.

 

MCE? This was about new vehicle designs and new vehicle launches. So instead of a final design being locked in 2 years before launch they want to wait and lock it in 1 year before launch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel that in some ways, Ford "threw a bone" to Ford of Australia when they allowed them to redesign the Ranger into a true world vehicle. I don't expect FoA Engineering will be around in 5-10 years.

 

One big problem with centralizing more engineering in Dearborn is lack of space. The rebuilding of the Research and Engineering Center is proceeding (on schedule ?) but it will be years before it is done. In the mean time Ford has leased several sites around Dearborn, including and old large retail store in a shopping center near WHQ and R&E. Not the best situation.

 

(The leased sites are experimenting with the new "open" office concept (no cubes, smaller desks, more small conference rooms, etc). Third hand feedback is NOT positive !)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, the open concept blows. Hopefully they will get over that nonsense quickly.

Its better than the old way where you were a certain grade got an exact amount of cubical or office space. Oh you're a grade 9 you get exactly 120sqft office, Grade 10 you get 144sq/ft. if the office was to big, you'd get a fake wall built to make sure you were in the sq/ft allowance. Grade 8! No office for you, we'll buy and put 3 other new desks and cubicles in this room just because you can't have a room to yourself even though no one sits at them.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Younger workers love those kinds of spaces. They do encourage collaboration which is necessary for this type of project where multiple folks are all working on the same project/vehicle.

Dunno--I just saw a report that said nobody really likes the open office concept and that it's detrimental to productivity.

 

Having spent 6th through 8th grades in an "open concept" school, IMNSHO, the "open concept" office is sheer lunacy. The "open concept" should've died before the millenials were born, and, in fact, all of my hometown's "open concept" schools were eventually converted to more conventional designs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it depends on the kind of work being done. If you're trying to work on something by yourself heads down then it may be distracting. But if you're collaborating with others actively and sharing ideas it works better.

 

In our case it's usually a mix where you're in the collaboration area a few days a week and working from home or elsewhere other days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 


Yes, the open concept blows. Hopefully they will get over that nonsense quickly.

 

Younger workers love those kinds of spaces. They do encourage collaboration which is necessary for this type of project where multiple folks are all working on the same project/vehicle.

 

I can see benefits and downsides to both.

 

My office I'm in is open concept, and I personally would welcome a somewhat more closed off space. I don't necessarily need my own enclosed office, but something with a tad more privacy and/or sound deadening would be nice. My coworkers are very loud (concrete floors and drywall ceilings don't help with this) to where you hear everything happening across the room. That said, it's a small office and small company, and we work a lot together on things because of that, but still some separation would be nice. Supposedly we're going to be rearranging the desk arrangement soon, so we'll see what happens with that. Sounds better than their original idea of putting up metal+glass (yes, metal+glass) partitions....as if that would help with the sound, or privacy for that matter.....and no, they wouldn't have been to the ceiling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel that in some ways, Ford "threw a bone" to Ford of Australia when they allowed them to redesign the Ranger into a true world vehicle. I don't expect FoA Engineering will be around in 5-10 years.

It's not Ford Australia, it's Ford Asia Pacific that occupies the R & D offices at Geelong,

while some engineers came form Ford Australia, a lot were hired form elsewhere.

 

They do an awful lot of work for China and other centers so they're not going anywhere anytime soon

Between Dearborn, Cologne and Geelong, projects can be continued around the clock by different teams.

 

I never understood that until it was explained to me a few years ago.

Edited by jpd80
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

In our case it's usually a mix where you're in the collaboration area a few days a week and working from home or elsewhere other days.

I can understand having a collaboration space you can go to, but I do not agree with an open concept for individual's work spaces. Way too many distractions. Edited by tbone
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dunno--I just saw a report that said nobody really likes the open office concept and that it's detrimental to productivity.

 

Having spent 6th through 8th grades in an "open concept" school, IMNSHO, the "open concept" office is sheer lunacy. The "open concept" should've died before the millenials were born, and, in fact, all of my hometown's "open concept" schools were eventually converted to more conventional designs.

 

What is an open concept school?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is an open concept school?

There were a few actual classrooms around the perimeter of the building, but most were in one big open area (around 300ft by 300ft) with nothing more than chalkboards on wheels for dividers.

 

The design of the school had berms that went up to the roof, effectively making it an underground school, which was, when it was built in the late '60s or early '70s, thought to make it tornado-proof.

 

Along with the "open concept" design, the berms were removed, and it was converted from a middle school to a high school. (The other two middle schools are still middle schools, but they got the other changes.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were a few actual classrooms around the perimeter of the building, but most were in one big open area (around 300ft by 300ft) with nothing more than chalkboards on wheels for dividers.

 

The design of the school had berms that went up to the roof, effectively making it an underground school, which was, when it was built in the late '60s or early '70s, thought to make it tornado-proof.

 

Along with the "open concept" design, the berms were removed, and it was converted from a middle school to a high school. (The other two middle schools are still middle schools, but they got the other changes.)

 

Oh wow. How would anyone be able to concentrate with that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...