After taking the courses, do you feel the product quality improving?
22 replies (most recent on top)
Ford has not eliminated in-house testing. If you're an employee and think otherwise please check out MPG, DDC, Building #4, etc. Sure looks like testing to me.
I’m sure the Edsel was a high-quality car.
Ford has to believe the suppliers word for quality because Ford has eliminated inhouse testing. Remember, "Trust but Verify".
More meetings are needed. LOL
Ford had a pretty good quality program that pre-dated 6-sigma. The teams had to have a serious high impact project and chief engineer support and then the instructors worked with the team to deliver results. Projects had a lot of visibility and good support.
6-Sigma screwed this up. Everyone had to have a project and too many projects were reporting on ongoing work. A lot of descriptive, retrospective work that was perceived as no value add. At best 6-Sigma provided a few tools engineers might use from time to time.
Fire fighting became more important and less critical work was being supported earlier in the program.
@nwt,
I agree. Also, the suppliers are not held accountable for quality issues on their commodities, they are laughing all the way to the bank. This will never change.
I can't tell you how many times Ford upper management has "bought off" on components that have failed testing, only to say the testing is too tough. These mo--ns are more concerned with cost and timing in order to look good to their bosses. The result is recalls down the road. Engineering can only do so much with this broken system. Engineers need to be making these decisions, not bean counters or a-s kissers.
The problem with any of these "one size fits all" training classes is that they're worthless unless you put them into practice soon after the course is completed. Otherwise, the knowledge is lost very quickly. No doubt most engineers sped through the training quickly to get the magic green checkmark, and will soon forget the course content.
On line training. LOL HAHAHA That is rich!!! LOL
Yes. Did you see any Ford recall announcements today?
I rest my case.
The root of our quality issues is not at the individual contributor level. Until the LL4 and above changes, the quality issues will not be fixed.
I honestly expect quality to get worse if anything due to powertrain constantly getting hit in layoffs.
Quality is SPC methodology and continuous product improvement. When you reach perfection make only minor changes. Simple huh?
@veq+1nnxrzJc The problem I have with your comments is the culture. If management is not going to practice what is taught at Ford then why waste my time? Decisions are more cost based than quality. Look at the root causes and deviations we have because of management.
So that said. I guess Demings statement that 85% of quality's problems are management driven. Is true.
FTEPs
The training won't fix the quality issues. Why are we asking people like program management to take FMA training? Not applicable. These required trainings are a diversion to keep you busy while they set up your replacement in Mexico.
done with all the training
impressions (at least from the cases studied in the training):
those “master black belt” had no clue what they were doing until problem was solved either out of pure luck or some domain expert was brought into the team
yet the management believe that we need more 6-sigma orchestra conductors instead of domain experts
The quality problem won't be fixed if things like these not get fixed,
part data not looked by production engineer and quality engineer everyday but in few month..
production line keeps running with bypass, since people don't want the line stopped so get a bad production number ..
@OWG - Hear Hear ! Well said ! I think part of the 30+ hours of universal training torture is to beat down people enough that more will leave on their own accord to save severance . . . Maybe an additional 17 hours of DEI training would help in that area as well. Just sayin'. I was finally let go this pasty Tuesday so I should give a care, right ?
"Feelings, nothing more than feelings . . . feelings of quality . . ." (This spoof lyric brought to you by JSN2RTO Guy !) Feelings, feelings, feelings . . . How's about some cold hard FACTS for a change ? How about BELIEFS and EVIDENCE ? THAT might help with the quality issues ! ;)
Who cares for a company that doesnt care for its employees
View this training as yourself being the product and your marketable skillset improving for further opportunities within or outside of the company.
One must not stagnate and should always be evolving to compete in the marketplace, here or abroad.
Ask oneself if the global engineering community has this skillset and maybe are these classes really worthwhile as I am sitting back getting paid to learn?
If you want a challenge, go take some off-site training like a Shainin or go to ASQ.org (Taguchi) right in your own backyard and do some expanding of thy’ mind. How do we expect to keep these jobs here in America, when folks refuse to take seriously what the company deems is an important and necessary skill for these jobs?
A few times a week, I am in meetings where they talk DOE. Even though I don’t have direct involvement in that teams process, I am able to fully understand exactly what is going on within the conversation and could take part in it anytime if necessary. What we are saying is “Do Not Be a Victim of You Own Demise”. If the company wants me to sit in 6 months’ worth of classes, just do it, are you not getting a handsome paycheck to learn and grow?
I attend these same classes and admittingly think some mandatory classes are weak, while there are other more challenging ones that expand my knowledge.
Other than the management, living in the Clown Continuum, does anyone seriously believe that 30+ hour of these classes is going to fix Ford's quality problems?
Problem solving requires an innate ability like being a MLB pitcher. Some people have it. Some people don't. Some people are good problem solvers. Some people are good researchers. Some people are good organizers. Some people are good at making things with their hands. It takes all sorts of talents. You can't make everyone a universal cog in the machine.