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Ford Vehicle Ordering & Scheduling Process


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Ford Dealers can submit vehicle orders via either the traditional CONCEPS ordering system or the newer WBDO (Web Based Dealer Ordering) system. Fleet orders and/or specification changes must be made via CONCEPS. The WBDO system only accepts stock (Dealer Stock, Demonstrator) orders and all variations of retail orders (Retail, A/X/D Plan, Etc.). Both ordering systems generate error notices and will not display pricing information until any errors are corrected.



The CONCEPS ordering system requires the Dealer to manually enter all the order codes… Year, Body Code, Priority Code, Option Codes, etc. The newer WBDO system uses plain language descriptions, etc. and only displays options available for that vehicle’s Model Year, Body Code & Order Code. Retail orders using the WBDO system default to Priority Code “19”.



Dealers assign priority codes to each order based on the Order Type. Stock orders are assigned priority codes 20-80, retail orders are assigned priority codes 10-19. Fleet orders are assigned special alpha numeric codes that represent a requested production week. The priority codes determine the order for which vehicle orders are to be selected and/or considered for scheduling. This overview doesn’t consider commodity issues (model, powertrain or option scheduling restrictions) that may be in place for a scheduling week. Commodity issues and/or restrictions can apply at either or both the regional and national levels.



The highest priority that a Dealer can use for a retail order is 10. An order with a “10” priority code will schedule ahead of an order with an “11” priority code, etc. This allows Dealers to prioritize the order in which vehicles are scheduled, especially when a Dealer may have multiple retail orders in the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank). With the WBDO ordering system, retail orders default to priority code “19” so it’s important that a Dealer change the priority code to a lower number if they want the order to be considered for scheduling earlier compared to other orders.



Ford provides Dealers with a schedule for vehicle allocation each week on Monday mornings which shows how many vehicles of each model line that the Dealer has allocation for scheduling that week. That same weekly allocation report also includes information on any regional commodity issues or restrictions. On Monday afternoons, the Scheduling Toolbox Report is released which provides more detailed information on commodity issues and scheduling availability on a national basis. On Tuesday mornings, the AM Scheduling Preview Report is available to show Dealers which vehicle orders have been selected or previewed, on an initial basis, to be selected for scheduling that week. The same report is updated and available on Wednesday morning to show any changes based on commodity issues that may have changed.



On Wednesday afternoon, the Regional Scheduler issues a notice informing Dealers of the vehicle specifications available for scheduling for orders not already showing on the AM Preview Report. This provides Dealers with information on what vehicle specifications are available for scheduling should they have orders showing on the AM Preview Report that are not what the Dealer wants.



Ford generates what are called “SIMS Orders” each week which are Ford’s suggested orders based on commodity information available at the time. If a Dealer has vehicle allocation for scheduling that week and has no Dealer orders in the USOB or orders that don’t meet the commodity restrictions in place for that week, the scheduling system will default to trying to schedule SIMS (Smart Inventory Management System) orders if they meet any commodity restrictions in place. The SIMS orders are available to Dealers online Monday mornings and in print form on Tuesday mornings. Dealers can enter their own vehicle orders or change the Ford generated SIMS orders.



Ford Dealers earn vehicle scheduling allocation each month based on reported vehicle sales, current inventory, projected sales, etc. Each month, Dealers usually meet with their Ford Zone Manager to review the allocation offered for scheduling the following month. A Dealer can accept the suggested allocation per vehicle line or change their commitment. Should a Dealer want more allocation than offered for a vehicle line, they can submit a request for supplemental allocation which will be considered based on total allocation available and commitments from other Dealers in their Zone. There are times when Dealers accept less allocation than offered for a vehicle line which makes that allocation available to other Dealers that may be looking for additional inventory. At other times, a Dealer may want more allocation for a vehicle line than Ford has offered. A supplemental allocation request is how Dealers can get allocation for extra inventory.



A Dealer needs allocation each week for scheduling for each vehicle line. Even without allocation for a vehicle line, Ford is pretty good at trying to schedule retail orders even when a Dealer doesn’t have allocation that week. When a Dealer knows that they don’t have scheduling allocation, it’s always a good idea for them to provide the retail order information (Body Code & Order Number) to their Ford Zone Manager and the Regional Scheduler. The Regional Scheduler can reprioritize the retail order to priority code “01” which basically forces the Ford scheduling system to schedule the unit ASAP unless extreme commodity restrictions prevent the scheduling. When a Dealer doesn’t have allocation, the Ford Zone Manager may try to get the allocation from another Dealer that is willing to give up their allocation.



Ford scheduling is done on Thursday’s but at times scheduling may be carried over to Friday’s due to scheduling, commodity or other issues. Vehicle scheduling confirmations are available on Friday mornings for allocation scheduled on Thursday.



With only a few exceptions (Focus RS, EcoSport, Transit Connect) VIN numbers are generated at the time that an order is “Submitted to Plant” for scheduling. The initial scheduling information will show an order scheduled for a production week. Afterwards, the information will be updated to show production for a particular date. Along the process, the vehicle order status information will be updated along with the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) at the dealership.



Years ago, the ordering process was much easier, with few or limited commodity issues to deal with. Ford’s vehicle scheduling was mostly driven by scheduling and building vehicles based on Dealer orders to meet Market demands. For a number of years now, the ordering process has become more complex and time consuming based on the constantly changing commodity issues and restrictions. It is now not uncommon for allocation to roll over to the following week because manufacturing can’t accurately forecast how many vehicles can be scheduled for production. In many cases, it seems that either because of vendor supply issues or other factors that Ford skews vehicle scheduling to higher content models in order to maximize corporate profits rather than scheduling vehicle production to meet Dealers orders or Market demand.



The overall vehicle order process, scheduling and status updates is listed below for reference.



· Dealer places order into the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank)


· When Dealer has vehicle allocation for scheduling, orders are scheduled based on Order Type, Priority Code and commodity restrictions.


o Scheduled vehicle orders display as “Submitted to Plant” on the Dealer’s daily schedule status report.


o Vehicle orders are assigned a VIN number when scheduled except for certain vehicle lines (EcoSport, Focus RS, Transit Connect)


o The initial vehicle scheduling notice will include information for the scheduled week of production. The initial ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is usually provided within a few days of the scheduling notice.


o Dealers can change vehicle specifications for a scheduled vehicle up until the vehicle is “locked in” for production or about two weeks prior to the scheduled build date. Specifications for certain vehicle lines (EcoSport, Focus RS, etc.) cannot be changed once scheduled.


§ Dealers are limited to making 6 changes to scheduled orders.


§ Dealers cannot change Order Type, Body Code, Order Code (Package/Trim Level)



· Vehicle order is next updated with a scheduled production date.


· Vehicle goes into production and shows as “Sent to Plant” on the Dealer’s daily status report.


o Vehicle invoices and window stickers are generated and available to Dealers at about this time.


· Dealer’s daily status report shows updates on production status.


· Vehicle status updated to “Produced”


· Vehicle status updated to “Released” meaning that the vehicle has been released for shipment.


· Vehicle is loaded on rail car. Dealer is provided with carrier information (Canadian National, Norfolk Sothern, etc.) along with the actual rail car number.


· Vehicle status is updated to show arrival at the final rail destination (Ramp 41/Newark, NJ)


· Vehicle is received by the car carrier (Fleet Car, Diversified Automotive, etc.) for delivery to the dealership.


· Vehicle is delivered to the dealership.



Dealers have access to the “Vehicle Visibility” application which provides status updates on a 24/7 basis for any vehicle order.



This information is provided to answer the most often asked questions about the vehicle ordering process by the Ford enthusiasts that are members of the Blue Oval Forums. I’ll update this information as conditions warrant.

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  • 1 year later...
4 minutes ago, mrmkesdeuce said:

I supposedly ordered a '19 Edge on March 19. I haven't heard a word about it yet. Does this sound like my order priority is probably 19? If I don't hear anything in another week, I'll cancel the order and go to another dealer.

Priority by itself means nothing.  It all depends on whether there are other orders with lower priority or same priority and an earlier order date.  Your dealer has all this information - what is the dealer telling you about your order?

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1 hour ago, mrmkesdeuce said:

I supposedly ordered a '19 Edge on March 19. I haven't heard a word about it yet. Does this sound like my order priority is probably 19? If I don't hear anything in another week, I'll cancel the order and go to another dealer.

akirby's reply is spot on! 

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  • 4 weeks later...
4 hours ago, Deanh said:

I literally still want a valid answer on why full size Transits take 14 to 16 weeks from order date....AHEM...Its not like they are made in India or anything...INEXCUSABLE.

Agreed... and it's nearly impossible to get the High Roof versions. At least 80% of our sales are T-250 MR LWB and we could sell all the HR vans we could get because there are so few in stock anywhere. 

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On 5/30/2019 at 9:11 PM, aadl12 said:

Damn, I have a Mustang GT waiting for production. It's 53 days away. I hoped it would move up after production, but this thread has crushed my soul. 

Not sure I understand your message. 53 days away? 53 days from scheduled build date? Move up after production? What are you trying to say? You must have realized that you were ordering the car at the end of the 2019 Model Year. So what's the point of your post?

Edited by ice-capades
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  • 1 month later...

Is there any sort of time frame as far as shipping goes?

My last status update was over 2 weeks ago - In Transit - Received - LD4574 (Norfolk Southern Corp )  Ramp 58, Melvindale, MI  Jul-07-2019, 10:34 ET.

I'm surprised its going rail, as im in Buffalo NY and figured it would just be loaded on a road carrier.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
37 minutes ago, Wrexhavik said:

If I was to go to a Ford dealership and order a truck to my specs: 1) do they require cash down payment or can I use a trade in lieu of the down payment, 2) I live close to a Ford plant that makes super duty trucks...could I go and watch them make my truck?


1) that's entirely up to the dealer. 
 

2) No, Ford doesn't offer that kind of thing. 

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11 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

2) No, Ford doesn't offer that kind of thing. 

 

That's too bad. Back in late '96, when my shiny-new 1st gen Expedition was rolling down the line, I got to see the final steps, thanks to a 1am phone call.

 

HRG

Edited by HotRunrGuy
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  • 4 months later...

I have a Mustang GT on order, initially scheduled as

Primary status:                In Order Processing
Secondary status:            Scheduled to Week
receiptDate:                     2020-01-24

Now it has changed to

Primary status:                In Order Processing
Secondary status:            Cancelled
receiptDate:                     2020-01-24
productionDate:                           
etaEndDate:                     2000-01-01

My dealer tells me its all Corona Virus related, but has no further information for me.

Any idea what that scheduling change might actually mean?

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24 minutes ago, pool said:

I have a Mustang GT on order, initially scheduled as

 

Primary status:                In Order Processing
Secondary status:            Scheduled to Week
receiptDate:                     2020-01-24

 

Now it has changed to

 

Primary status:                In Order Processing
Secondary status:            Cancelled
receiptDate:                     2020-01-24
productionDate:                           
etaEndDate:                     2000-01-01

 

My dealer tells me its all Corona Virus related, but has no further information for me.

 

Any idea what that scheduling change might actually mean?

 

 

I'm assuming that the "Receipt Date" is actually the Status Date of the last order update reported. What was the actual week that the vehicle was scheduled for production?  

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Receipt date shown is the filing date at Ford USA, I assume, as the day the order was placed with the local dealer was 2020-01-17.

 

With the VIN number, in March the dealer gave me week 2020-04-04  as scheduled for production.

Later in March, the system changed to Secondary status: Scheduled to Week, with no specific week noted.

On 2020-04-28 the system then changed to Secondary status: Cancelled, where it has been standing since.

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3 minutes ago, pool said:

Receipt date shown is the filing date at Ford USA, I assume, as the day the order was placed with the local dealer was 2020-01-17.

 

With the VIN number, in March the dealer gave me week 2020-04-04  as scheduled for production.

Later in March, the system changed to Secondary status: Scheduled to Week, with no specific week noted.

On 2020-04-28 the system then changed to Secondary status: Cancelled, where it has been standing since.

 

For a Retail 2020 Mustang GT that was ordered on 01/17/2020, the vehicle should have been scheduled for production the week of 03/09 or 03/16. Could it be related to COVID? Yes, but what's happened with other vehicles scheduled is that their scheduled dates have just been pushed back without any ETA's until the plants re-open and they can provide more accurate information. If Ford cancelled the order, which is very unusual, there's probably something else going on. However, your Dealer should have contacted either their Zone Manager or the Regional Scheduled to find the reason for the cancellation. If Ford cancelled the order, your Dealer will have to resubmit a new order. 

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  • 1 month later...

I put in an order for a F150 January 14th and just got the vin# and build date last week, June 12.  It's build date is Aug 3.  I was going to cancel it if my dealer couldn't get me any information soon but he did.  COVID must had something to do with the delay or something went wrong with the order.  At least I know it's in the system now.

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