What does this mean?
Reduce testing? Thats not happening, we already did that. Notice all the recalls, thats the evidence.
Reduce CAD/CAE? Acutally, this is what supposedly gets increased when testing is decreased. And its not resulting in better vehicles.
Reduce prototypes? Already doing it. See first two questions above.
Reduce overhead? Haven't we already shuttered/reduced many buildings/garages because of WFH and covid?
Reduce cost? Already we are staffing up Mexico, Brazil, and India for low cost engineering.
Reduce misuse of company property/assets/test vehicles? Not on your life. This is Ford.
Reduce useless/re-occurring meetings? Not on your life. This is Ford.
Reduce engineering management level promotions/positions? Not on your life. This is Ford.
Reduce GSR engineering headcount? Yep, that's it.
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We’re are the real numbers? 1500 laid off in the spring of 2022. 3000 in August of 2022 then 8000? Retired in the fall? Then mass hiring in Mexico at the new engineer facility…. This should be headline news. Very sad.
Part of Fords problem is they require an engineering degree to be an engineer, which essentially creates a situation where they're paying for a certificate rather than experience, skill, and interest. I see this everyday - a whole team of engineers in a workshop, yet only 2 or 3 are actually interested and engaged in what's happening because the others simply don't care or they really don't know whats happening. These engineers are a waste of money. Fords competitors look for tangible skill sets and interests over paper certificates, and whether you like it or not, they're competing and producing significantly fewer recalls. Ford has engineers building cars that couldn't design a door knob without referencing someone else's design first.
You must be from IT.
Let's just hire more outside VPs instead! They'll fix everything.
Until someone at the top looks at the leadership and cuts a level out we’re going to repeat the same bs. How do you expect to lower vehicle part count when you have silos of engineering teams working on individual stuff?
If we do it right, get ready for reorgs where entire teams get put together to create casts with multiple parts to lower part count and cuts will follow.
If that doesn’t happen this will be the same bs we always do, cut GSR headcount to “lower engineering costs,” and then upper level LLs will say they need employees back for their one-off part team because they can’t handle the workload.
Hopefully we practice what is preached and actually start breaking down these 100 year old silos because we’re doomed to keep contracting this bs out otherwise.
@1gdj+1kPxBIHW is partially correct. This below has more facts.
... They are a bunch of data collectors, driven by the PD process their LL's define. ...
With that, no matter who has the job, under the same process, data is going to be collected. Excel will be filled. Boxes will be checked. ...........
@1gdj+1kPxBIHW Some departments are reliant on full service suppliers but others are not. The right thing to do would be to bring design back in house for those departments but that would increase Engineering costs.
Most engineers at Ford are not engineers. They are a bunch of data collectors. Any engineering that must be done are being done by outside suppliers or contractors.
Engineers at Ford is a joke.
It's best to reduce the number of engineers and farm it out to outside contractors. I will cut cost and more efficient.
Next up........ALL TAXES!
better hold on to yer butts folks.
GO H1B WORKERS!
If they actually did a good job of creating vehicle platforms we could reduce engineering costs substantially. We haven't done that since the days of Mulally though so I won't hold my breath.
nobody wants to step up and do the hard work. The fat cats are too timid to make a decision that might cost them their tails. I know some who could not even make the decision to retire when shown the decrease in pension payout. They had no idea what they were going to do without their job. That is what happens when you spend 30 plus years telling yourself you are so important and irreplaceable and the company has rewarded you with high pay.
Smart engineers know the game and drag their feet when stupid decisions are handed down. I spoke up all the time and we all rolled our eyes when big plans were announced... Like a big train.. no slowing or speeding it up just enjoy the ride.
I feel sorry for the folks I left behind.
Half baked cars
Cars that dont work
And the d heads will be filling their pockets with millions every year
What does this mean? The plan is to eliminate engineers because they are expensive, even though they prevent recalls, so we can focus on data and subscriptions that produce no revenue but are more fun.
I too decoded what was said to mean more layoffs. :( Appreciate the 'This is Ford' process of elimination type analysis leading to the correct conclusion ! :)