Thread regarding Ford layoffs

@cnr+1h7buiZS
On the WFH front, you can’t assume that there are more distractions at home.
For the single people / empty-nesters there are considerably less distractions at home than in the office.

I do agree that loafers are going to loaf, but they loafed in the office as well.
The same people who walked from cube to cube chatting all day are calling and chatting to people all day (not about work related topics)

One problem with WFH is the things that senior people could catch floating over the cube-walls and correct with a casual drop by. You know where less skilled people are totally unaware of how far off the mark are and lack the maturity / have too big of an ego to request reviews of their analysis / work product. BUT then again all the senior, highly paid people have been cut in our area.

Team players have found ways to collaborate while WFH. The credit stealers and incompetents are having a rough time with WFH.

Granted we should be having better quality controls and processes, but it is hard to advocate for that when the ones we have are just rubber stamped, everything is always roses. Anyone who objects to the rubber stamping is ostracized and then shown the door.

It all circles back to poor leadership and the valuing of peacocking an preening over form and substance.

Bad Leadership + Bad Culture = Bad Cars and TrucKs (ICE or EV).

The fact there is no accountability (other than blaming a random supplier) is astonishingly Bad as well.

@ysd+1h7buiZS. I am the poster you responded to. I certainly agree that constant cuts DO play a factor as you suggest. But WFH is definitely a factor also, that shouldn't be discounted either. I am not smart enough to be able to determine which factor (constant cuts or WFH or some other factor) plays a larger role in contributing to quality issues. I just believe that no possible root cause should be discredited or not taken seriously. And WFH is definitely not contributing to better work processes, products, or employee collaboration on ideas, problems, solutions, etc.

Now if you are suggesting/saying that WFH causes no problems (and even after rereading your response several times, I am not sure if you are completely discounting WFH or just saying it is less important a factor than the constant cuts.) Your wording implies that is it just the latter. Some parts of communication are lost when only written forms are used - there is no chance to ask for clarification or explain exactly what one means. We need a pareto chart showing the top potential causes of the reason for quality issues. Heck, we might even learn that WFH and constant cuts are not even in the top 20 reasons for poor quality (well that is even only true if the pareto chart is accurate and done without bias). However on the topic of WFH, I have become used to most people constantly defending WFH or telling me how much more efficient WFH is no matter what the topic. Most people just like it, and that makes obvious sense. But while working for Ford, I have also gotten used to many people telling me they are working 60+ hour weeks. And I have always wondered, how can that be - they get here after me and leave before me. And I am/was not working 60+ hour weeks consistently (and I am referring to even before the pandemic.)

My kids also tell me all the time that they can do just as good at their homework while they watch TV or play on the computer than if they just worked solely on their homework without the distraction. I don't believe them either. I guess I am a skeptical person. So, I find it personally amusing when anyone discounts the potential problems with WFH. I think your response to me was actually well intentioned and that you sincerely believe constant cuts are a bigger factor to the quality problem. No offense was taken or being given by me in responding back to you.

In reality, we will never know the truth/answer of what is causing quality problems. I think we both know there are even larger issues at Ford causing widespread problems that don't look like they will be solved anytime soon. (They haven't been solved in the last 10, 25, or even 50 years or more). I wish you a great day.

Ford pays Matthew McConaghy to drive a Lincoln. Because he is cool.

The last 2 posters are spot on. PowerPoint slides are much more important at Ford than a DFMEA. It is not even a close comparison!

And seriously, think about. Do you really think the management/executive team at Ford knows much about any engineering processes let alone the FMEA process? They have much more important topics to focus on - DEI discussions, kingdom building, golf outings (it is the summer season), etc. There are probably a few good LL6 employees that have a good understanding of DFMEA, but not many (I'll bet it is even less than 15-20% of the LL6 employees-some of you may think this range is being generous, and I couldn't argue with you). The vast majority of the management team either don't know the DFMEA exists or only use it as a buzzword.

And quality people at Ford - they might/probably will demand a DFMEA from a supplier if there is a quality problem, but rarely if ever from an internal Ford department (even they are smart enough to not cause trouble/raise issues to management within Ford - easy way to make yourself a target with LL5+ employees for retribution)

@mbp+1h7buiZS Considering this is coming out of powertrain, I'd put more blame on the constant cuts that have occurred over there than WFH. The people I know over there are fighting fires constantly.

Buying a car from Ford is like dealing with a 1890s snake-oil salesman or a Carnival side show con-artist / flim-flam man. They got their $63K.

A Middleburg, Florida, driver wrote Jan. 19, "broke down with 2058 miles. Flashing engine light, strong fumes smell and vigorously shaking. Ford customer care said there’s nothing they could do. Not even a loaner for a $63k vehicle."

@mbp+1h7buiZS

Yes, sadly that is true. Prior to Ford I worked for a supplier that designed instrument clusters. The DFMEA was considered the Holy Bible, no cost save actions didn't go though without a good DFMEA analysis.

At Ford, I was surprised by the lack of importance placed on the DFMEA, and the mis-priority placed on useless PowerPoint slides presented in endless meetings. Now in 2022, make useless PowerPoint slides and then chase the kids around and watch reruns on TV.

@vkk+1h7buiZS Of course everyone completes the DFMEA. It is required by program management. However, maybe you have heard of "Garbage In - Garbage Out"

Very few product groups have taken the FMEA process seriously for years (and I mean decades). There are a few and maybe you/your group was one of them. But overall, the FMEA process has always been a check the box activity. And now with WFH (the new norm) - their are lawns to cut, cookies to bake, kids to play with.....so, the FMEA process gets even less attention than it did prior to 2020.

Doesn't anyone complete a DFMEA anymore?

@mza+1h7buiZS Is Lincoln still around even? I haven't heard anything about the brand in months other than this big fancy EV they talked about one time

But the Bronco is supposed to save us! Maybe Lincoln will save us.