ruel24 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Where's the recovery? What is being done? Here are my suggestions for a full recovery of Ford: 1.) Warranty - 10 years 100,000 mile powertrain, 5 years 60,000 mile bumper to bumper - no deductibles and fully transferable. This will install confidence in the buying public, and require your engineers to do a better job. The product quality will improve, and your warranty costs should decrease over time. Almost immediately, there should be a sales spike. Reliability equals better resale value, and that means higher residual values, and that means cheaper leases, and that means more sales. Everyone wins. 2.) Don't reinvent the wheel. When something works, why change it? Why come out with these totally new designs that become nothing but a headache of reliability. Stick with the underpinnings that work well, fix those that don't, and give us new where we can see it - not where we don't care about. 3.) Fit and finish - Let's face it, the gaps in Toyotas and Hondas are much tighter and straighter. The interiors of your competition are much nicer grade materials and have better fit. On top of that, you design in bevelled edges where two panels meet, making the gaps seem even larger than they are. Don't give me any of that crap about your target market being too price sensitive. Toyota and Honda are both selling in those same markets and are kicking your butt in most of them. 4.) Design - I love the design direction Ford has, but you're letting others take credit for it. For instance: Bangle and his BMW's. His designs are nothing more than a spin on the Ford Edge design, combined with Cadillac's Art and Science design. But, he's getting all the credit for this design direction that supposedly the rest of the world is trying to copy. However, the Edge design dates back into the 1990's with the GT90 concept. The public thinks Ford is just copying others designs. You need to speak up and let the world know. 5.) Build in the US. I'm not interested in buying a Ford made in Mexico, or China for that matter. I like American cars. If I wanted to buy a foreign car, I'd buy a Honda, which is increasingly becoming a domestic brand. Don't give me the cost crap. Honda and Toyota can build them here (most Honda's have 70% parts, both engine and tranny, and final assembly here in the US these days) and make money, you can too. How do expect people to afford your cars if you ship the jobs out elsewhere? Your great grandfather increased his sales by doubling his workers' pay. Take a note from him and get a clue on American made. 6.) Learn from your partner Mazda. Sporty cars equals sales. I don't want dumbed down, bland offerings. I want sporty. I want visual, tactile, and sonic impact. So does the rest of the market. 7.) When you design a car for a certain market, go for the jugular. Take a look at GM: They designed the Cobalt for a mid-pack offering. It shows. Honda, on the other side, designs to win a segment, and it shows. Guess who sells more compact cars: Ford, GM, or Honda? Don't give me crap about how you can't make money off of certain markets. Others are there competing and making money. Honda makes lots of money selling Civics. You can make money, too, in that market. 8.) Get aggressive. You've shied away from certain markets in the past because the grass was greener somewhere else. This is a mistake. Trends come, and trends go. You have to be ready. You have to compete hard in every market niche out there. If you can't compete in a market segment, don't bother. You're doing nothing but tarnishing your name - which has value. 9.) Shout it out loud - boast about your conquests, improvements, advancements, awards, and what you're doing and where you're headed. Make some noise. Let the public know who you are and what you're about. Make it bold. Give it impact. But most of all, be loud about it. 10.) Place your product outside the need to incentivise. If you're product is strong, you won't need to resort to the tactics other brands try. You'll sell anyway. Did Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or anyone else get involved in your little rebate war with GM? They didn't need to. 11.) Constantly improve your product. Give me a new face every couple of years, and a major overhaul in about 6 years from the product launch. Keep it fresh. And every year, there should be improvements somewhere: in the drivetrain, powertrain, or whatever. Give me a reason to upgrade. 12.) Lastly, make a big announcement with your plans and start implementing them immediately. The world has been waiting for this big turnaround announcement, but so far Ford has been relatively quiet. Immediate change is needed, and the change has to be recognized by both the consumers and the investment markets. Again, make it loud and proud! Edited August 5, 2006 by ruel24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) :roses: :cheerleader: :cheerleader: :cheerleader: http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/fatalbert.gif Edited August 5, 2006 by IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang84isu Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) ^^ Why hasn't this guy been banned yet? Ruel24 made a great, thoughtful post...and DaFool posts a third grader response. Members like that wouldn't last past five posts on other boards. Edited August 5, 2006 by mustang84isu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) ^^Why hasn't this guy been banned yet? Ruel24 made a great, thoughtful post...and DaFool posts a third grader response. Members like that wouldn't last past five posts on other boards. Relax. Its Saturday. The criticism is just not necessary. The avatars show admiration for the post. I didnt feel like writing anything back, The post was that good. Thats why the avatars. You just ruined it by posting your personal thoughts on me and rather the post. :shrug: :whipped: :whipped: :angrymirror: Fat Albert is always right, and positive. Edited August 5, 2006 by IPITYDAFOOL VIRUSFREE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang84isu Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Sorry, I misunderstood your use of smilies. I thought they were implying "fanboy" with the cheerleading. Edited August 5, 2006 by mustang84isu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 I was just going to post an emoticon too: :bowdown: But for the sake of clarity, let me say, I think ruel24 said it very well! Possible conflict between #2 and #11, but mostly spot-on. I especially agree with points 5 and 6. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe771476 Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Yes it was a very good post. The only thing that troubles me is that Ford's legacy costs are too high for them to make an American-made cheap car! Ford and GM gave away the farm when they agreed to the ridiculous demands of the UAW in the 80's. Did they think the good times would last forever? Didn't they realize medical costs would go up and retirees would live longer? Here in CT, police who work construction zones are getting tens of thousands of dollars for overtime per officer per year and it counts toward their pensions! How long can the taxpayer afford that? In most cases, the cops aren't even needed at these sites! The bubble is going to burst soon, and our children and grandchildren will pay the price! American greed must end soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Greene Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) It always comes down to product...more so than price. Companies with quality products that are right for markets and right for times usually survive and prosper. Companies that sell on price rarely survive. What always attracts me is is the best product in a particular class, not the one with the lowest price. Because I know the best product is really the cheapest to own over time. Edited August 5, 2006 by Ralph Greene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSenstad Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 (edited) Yes it was a very good post. The only thing that troubles me is that Ford's legacy costs are too high for them to make an American-made cheap car! Ford and GM gave away the farm when they agreed to the ridiculous demands of the UAW in the 80's. Did they think the good times would last forever? Didn't they realize medical costs would go up and retirees would live longer? Here in CT, police who work construction zones are getting tens of thousands of dollars for overtime per officer per year and it counts toward their pensions! How long can the taxpayer afford that? In most cases, the cops aren't even needed at these sites! The bubble is going to burst soon, and our children and grandchildren will pay the price! American greed must end soon! Wow, the latest idiot. Let me ask you Joey, how does the auto industry compare to other jobs when it comes to on job injuries, repetitive injuries, and long term injuries? Perhaps there is a reason they need good healthcare services. I have a better question for you Joey... Name all the industrialized nations in the world that do not have national healthcare to absorb those costs for the company? I'll wait all day... and all night.... and all day tomorrow for you to figure it out. After you answer that question you might find a way to compare apples to apples instead of blaming the unions. Sorry I got side tracked, I think the original author has put some good thoughts down, I'll have to read them again. Edited August 5, 2006 by DSenstad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruel24 Posted August 5, 2006 Author Share Posted August 5, 2006 Yes it was a very good post. The only thing that troubles me is that Ford's legacy costs are too high for them to make an American-made cheap car! Ford and GM gave away the farm when they agreed to the ridiculous demands of the UAW in the 80's. Did they think the good times would last forever? Didn't they realize medical costs would go up and retirees would live longer? Here in CT, police who work construction zones are getting tens of thousands of dollars for overtime per officer per year and it counts toward their pensions! How long can the taxpayer afford that? In most cases, the cops aren't even needed at these sites! The bubble is going to burst soon, and our children and grandchildren will pay the price! American greed must end soon! I don't think so. I mean, when GM and Ford were riding high just 10 years ago, it didn't matter about those supposed "legacy costs". This is just corporate propaganda against the unions. Most companies develop problems because of poor management, not because of what they're paying their line workers - but that's always where they point the finger first. Ford's problems are many, some of which was the promise of quality under the "Quality is Job 1" slogan, but problems went unsolved for the Contour, Probe, Taurus, Windstar and others. This is bad publicity. These are problems in design, and have nothing to do with the line workers or the UAW. I love Ford. I wish them success. I really want them to improve and come out on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 Wow, the latest idiot. Let me ask you Joey, how does the auto industry compare to other jobs when it comes to on job injuries, repetitive injuries, and long term injuries? Perhaps there is a reason they need good healthcare services. I have a better question for you Joey... Name all the industrialized nations in the world that do not have national healthcare to absorb those costs for the company? I'll wait all day... and all night.... and all day tomorrow for you to figure it out. After you answer that question you might find a way to compare apples to apples instead of blaming the unions. Sorry I got side tracked, I think the original author has put some good thoughts down, I'll have to read them again. Oh boy, here it comes...straight to the namecalling for calling out the UAW...accurately. While comparing those other things, check the imports for employee crossword completions while on the clock, the paid to stay home, the fact that it's far less expensive for Honda to build in the US that it is for American companies, and how hard UAW employees scream while STILL paying less for health insurance than most working Americans! Then, look at what the unions have done for the steel industry...aviation industry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruel24 Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 Oh boy, here it comes...straight to the namecalling for calling out the UAW...accurately. While comparing those other things, check the imports for employee crossword completions while on the clock, the paid to stay home, the fact that it's far less expensive for Honda to build in the US that it is for American companies, and how hard UAW employees scream while STILL paying less for health insurance than most working Americans! Then, look at what the unions have done for the steel industry...aviation industry... Hmmm... The steel industry? The aviation industry? Let me ask you this: How come our economy and all the businesses involved prospered when the unions were much stronger in the 1950's and 1960's but they somehow can't today? It's bull. This is nothing more than propaganda. The wages they now make aren't even that much. I believe they make around $26/hr. That's about $55k a year. Big deal. This is high pay? My forman said that his father was a union plumber and was making $12/hr. in 1971. We figured that that equals out somewhere around $55/hr. in today's money. They definitely don't make that now. This anti-union stuff is nothing but the corporations brainwashing the public into thinking in their terms. Real wages in the US have been on the decline since the early '80's. The public is getting screwed and they've been brainwashed into believing that this is a good thing. As far as the aviation industry is concerned, I live in Cincinnati where there's big Delta hub. I was saying it as much as a year ago: after they get the pilots, stewardesses, and other supporting workers to take a paycut, somehow they'd magically come out of bankruptcy and the CEO and the other top big wigs will get huge bonuses. Corporations only cry wolf many times about wage problems. It's almost as I have predicted. They just posted a record profit last quarter. Who would have guessed? It's only a matter of time before they come out of bankruptcy, now, and the big wigs get their millions for it. It's all a big lie to make those at the top richer and those doing the work poorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSenstad Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I believe that Ford is fully funded in the retirement account, I guess that kind of blows the Union part of the lagacy costs. The company legacy cost is included in our costs when they present the figuares to the public and some people who reply on this board apperently buy this without a single thought. I personally that qualifies as an idiot but I guess I won't name call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
156n3rd Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I work in a hospital. I am a Patient Care Attendant, not a nurse. Do you think nurses should make less than an auto worker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruel24 Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 I believe that Ford is fully funded in the retirement account, I guess that kind of blows the Union part of the lagacy costs. The company legacy cost is included in our costs when they present the figuares to the public and some people who reply on this board apperently buy this without a single thought. I personally that qualifies as an idiot but I guess I won't name call. Actually, it's been known for quite some time that they're not fully funded in the pension. This is their own fault. They were the ones that weren't keeping up on their contributions to the fund. Why should the employees take the hit because of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruel24 Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 (edited) I work in a hospital. I am a Patient Care Attendant, not a nurse. Do you think nurses should make less than an auto worker? Why would you think that being an auto worker is less than being a nurse? Why do you think nurses deserve more money? I'm not saying they don't, but questioning why you think they do. This whole country has an attitude where everyone thinks they deserve $100k/yr, but the next guy makes too much money for what he does. What's with this attitude? I'm a construction plumber. We get the equivalent education of a 2 yr. degree, and plus some from 5 years of part time schooling and lots of on the job training. The number one cause of death on a construction site is a caved in ditch, suffocating the victim. Where do you think I spend about 40% of my time? In a ditch doing underground plumbing. There are hazards everywhere. Everyday, you hear about someone that lost a foot because someone 6 stories up accidentally kicked a 2x4 off the scaffolding, or some other similar tragic story. So how much to you think I should earn? As much as a nurse? Please tell me... Do you think dental hygenists deserve $30-35/hr.? They make it... Ford will sell it's cars at the highest prices they can get for them, no matter what they pay their workers. If suddenly tomorrow the UAW agreed to a 50% wage decrease, do you think they'd lower the price of the cars any? Or do you think that Bill Ford and the rest of the top level management would just get huge bonuses? Who do you think deserves it more? The guys trying to make ends meet, or the fat cats that get millions in bonuses every year as is? $55k a year is not some lofty amount of money. In fact, when Uncle Sam gets done with them, they live no better than a guy making a little less, as their taxes are larger, too. In my line of work, a 5th year apprentice makes about $20 an hour and a journeyman $28 - $8 less than a journeyman plumber. But when they graduate to the level of journeyman, their take-home pay only goes up a little bit - nothing like you'd expect. Why? Because they just entered a higher tax bracket in the process. BTW, Honda and Toyota pay competitive, but not quite the same, levels of pay and benefits. The Georgetown, KY Toyota plant pays, on average, something like $23+/hr vs. the Sharonville, OH Ford plant's $25+/hr. So what's wrong with what UAW workers earn? Edited August 6, 2006 by ruel24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Hmmm... The steel industry? The aviation industry? Let me ask you this: How come our economy and all the businesses involved prospered when the unions were much stronger in the 1950's and 1960's but they somehow can't today? It's bull. This is nothing more than propaganda. The wages they now make aren't even that much. I believe they make around $26/hr. That's about $55k a year. Big deal. This is high pay? My forman said that his father was a union plumber and was making $12/hr. in 1971. We figured that that equals out somewhere around $55/hr. in today's money. They definitely don't make that now. This anti-union stuff is nothing but the corporations brainwashing the public into thinking in their terms. Real wages in the US have been on the decline since the early '80's. The public is getting screwed and they've been brainwashed into believing that this is a good thing. As far as the aviation industry is concerned, I live in Cincinnati where there's big Delta hub. I was saying it as much as a year ago: after they get the pilots, stewardesses, and other supporting workers to take a paycut, somehow they'd magically come out of bankruptcy and the CEO and the other top big wigs will get huge bonuses. Corporations only cry wolf many times about wage problems. It's almost as I have predicted. They just posted a record profit last quarter. Who would have guessed? It's only a matter of time before they come out of bankruptcy, now, and the big wigs get their millions for it. It's all a big lie to make those at the top richer and those doing the work poorer. Again, spot-on. I don't know why more people can't figure all this out for themselves. I guess they haven't been around long enough to catch the drift. You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows. (Bob Dylan) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows. (Bob Dylan) Yeah, but the pumps don't work 'cause the vandals broke the handles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Yeah, but the pumps don't work 'cause the vandals broke the handles. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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