Get used to the Danaher way of doing things. Lot’s of new wall art coming to show us what to do. No one at Ford was smart enough.
Ford has faced its fair share of quality woes in recent times, becoming the most recalled automotive manufacturer in 2022 in the process. CEO Jim Farley has made it quite clear that the automaker is focused on fixing this problem, which he says “grew back” along with various other corporate inefficiencies including a major overstaffing problem that are eating into the company’s profits, though they will ultimately take years to correct. Now, FoMoCo has made another move to help right the proverbial ship after hiring John Dion as its new chief transformation officer.
John Dion is no stranger to improving the efficiency of large corporations, having spent 24 years at Danaher Corp. and leading the integrations and transitions of multiple acquisitions during that time span. Most recently, Dion worked at ESAB Corp. as vice president of business excellence, where he led the company’s industrial and cultural remaking as it transitioned from a 120-year old private company into a publicly-traded entity.
In his new role, Dion will be tasked with simplifying and streamlining Ford’s operations and improving its quality at the same time, using his knowledge of lean manufacturing – or Kaizen – and other related methodologies to lead the global deployment of methodologies and tools.
“Henry Ford was doing lean manufacturing decades before anyone even defined the term,” Farley said. “High value and quality, continuous flow, rooting out waste – those things have been fundamental to who we are for more than a century. John’s an expert in all of the principles of lean, and he and his team will provide our culture the urgency, guidance, and support we need to reassert and raise Ford’s reputation for excellence, thrift, and growth.”
“Jim and everyone I met spoke with great clarity and candor about what’s possible and required to fulfill the promise of Ford+,” Dion said. “What I saw isn’t a simple program or initiative, it’s a new way of doing business – to win and create value for customers and everyone who counts on Ford.”