The future of Falcon and Ford Aust. - A research tool
We are starting this thread to correlate all the information and positives about he future that is the most spoken about aspect today.
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One Ford will be competitive in all markets.
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Australia will have access to a Large family car
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The Mustang retains rear wheel drive and becomes a global car engineered for all markets. Standing alone as the single product from an expensive platform is unlikely
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Ford is continuing to invest in this country.
"Ford Australia says it has continued to invest, with $282 million in 2011 allocated across research, development and facilities for local product programs as well as global product programs such as the Ford Ranger ute. The company says Ford’s total investment in Australia over the past five years has exceeded $1.7 billion."
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"Ford’s Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering Team Goes Further
Jun-04-2012 11:40 PM ET
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ford’s Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering (VOME) team has gone further to improve efficiency through an upgrade of its wheel alignment facilities.
The APA VOME End of Line team, led by Dave Hildreth, combined new Mahle eCats software into Ford’s wheel alignment facilities, which helped optimise overall cycle time. In addition, it provides the engineers with a detailed insight into the task a vehicle is performing during each diagnostic stage.
Wheel Align facilities have traditionally used proprietary software for control, interface and data storage.
“These upgrades enable electrical testing of vehicles to be spread more efficiently across the Pre Delivery Area via software standardisation and distribution of tests into Wheel Align,” Hildreth said.
“Other benefits include the ability to remotely view and analyse Wheel Align data using a web-based reporting system such as Report Logiq.”
The new system also allows plants to run different calibration tests between facilities, allowing the testing of advanced vehicle features on a controlled level surface, such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Aid, and Lane Departure Warning. Combined, these help with the further development of future vehicles.
Hildreth said the new system, which is now in place at the Broadmeadows plant in Australia, the Chongqing plant in china and the Rayong plant in Thailand, and will be introduced as the regional standard."
Ford Australia remains one a few hubs that can design engineer and manufacture a car form concept to completion.
This thread will continually evolved and be updated.
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Originally Posted by
Road_Warrior
Ford Australia is one of only three outfits in the entire Ford Motor Company that can bring a car from a blank sheet of paper (or more likely these days, a blank computer screen) to the showroom floor - and do all the design, engineering, testing and manufacturing in-house while they're at it. One of only three.
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Originally Posted by Paxton
http://mumbrella.com.au/ford-falcon-...he-month-98943Ford Falcon Ecoboost wins Mumbrella’s Ad of the MonthA car ad featuring two cane toads, one of which is get high on its own back secretion has won Mumbrella’s Ad of the Month.
The commercial for the Ford Falcon Ecoboost aims to exemplify how quiet the car is with the toads believing they have more time to get off the road than they actually do.
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Originally Posted by
HSE2
Sun write up on Ecoboost Falcon had this to say in conclusion
-- VERDICT
The EcoBoost Falcon is impressive, retaining the model's heralded dynamics and delivering useful outputs without drinking heavily. If you want to stick with rear-wheel drive then this is the real deal.
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Originally Posted by
JEM
LP120100239
Approved Project Title - Developing an environmentally friendly, low cost solution to reduce wear and improve productivity in metal forming
Rolfe, Dr Bernard F; Hodgson, Prof Peter D; Forsyth, Prof Maria; Xiang, A/Prof Yong; Doolan, Dr Matthew C; Pereira, Dr Michael P
2012 $157,589.00
2013 $123,189.00
2014 $129,189.00
Total $409,967.00
Primary FoR 0912 MATERIALS ENGINEERING APDI Dr Michael P Pereira
Partner Organisation(s) Ford Motor Company of Australia Ltd
Administering Organisation Deakin University
Project Summary
Tool wear is an increasing problem for automotive manufacturers, resulting in significant loss of manufacturing efficiency. This project will provide new understanding of tool wear, innovative active monitoring systems and novel environmentally friendly lubricants to reduce tool wear.
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Originally Posted by Road_Warrior
Apparently Joe Hinrichs has been down here and toured Broady, Geelong Engine and is going to the Lara proving grounds today.
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What we know for sure, is that he's looking around, and Ford have stated that he's not here to be the bearer of bad news... so that's something at least.
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Originally Posted by
JEM
no official word, it's what I
hear. ;)
It's a virtual CAVE designed to help engineers build vehicles in a 3d virtual world long before any physical prototype appears. Helps identify production/manufacturing issues, enables them to virtually sit in a proposed interior, to be sitting in the car while they crash it, and much more all before anything is screwed together.
Discussion in link
http://www.falconforums.com.au/showt...e-Motor-Report
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Originally Posted by
Falc'man
Ford introducing One Manufacturing global production system
By Tim Beissmann | August 08th, 2012
Ford Motor Company is supporting its largest global expansion in half a century by introducing a single manufacturing process designed to make the company an industry leader in lowest total cost production.
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Ford Australia’s Sinead Phipps told CarAdvice the manufacturer’s local operations have been involved with the development of the One Manufacturing system, at times taking a lead role in some of the projects.
“In terms of global manufacturing processes, we’re a part of any of those discussions and any of those processes that they roll out globally,” Phipps said.
“If there are any applicable ones for us we implement them in line with the rest of the world as well.
“Particularly in this region – because we are a mature plant, our staff have been working in manufacturing for quite a long time – we test out some of those processes in this region. We’re sometimes the lead plant depending on what it is.”
The One Ford/One Manufacturing strategy dictates that as the company opens new plants it will reduce the number of platforms that vehicles are developed on.
Asked whether the strategy was bad news for Ford Australia – which so far this year has sold just 19,920 Falcon sedans and utes and Territory SUVs, all of which are produced on a platform that is unique in the Ford world – Phipps said the plan to reduce the number of vehicle platforms was not news to it.
“That’s been Ford’s global position for a number of years now with One Ford. It’s about reducing the number of platforms that we produce.
“With Focus, for example, we used to have two different Focuses in different parts of the world, now we have one global Focus. We have one global Fiesta, we’ve got the global Ranger, which was obviously developed here.
“Ford’s global One Ford policy has looked at B-cars, C-cars, C/D-cars with the Mondeo and Fusion, and they’re looking at what’s next with that. That’s what we’ve concentrated on at this stage.”
http://www.caradvice.com.au/185320/f...uction-system/
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Originally Posted by JEM
EXACTLY... and to reiterate comments from Ford...
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“One of the things that frustrates us … is that we continue to invest in the Falcon and Territory – with diesel in the Territory last year and LPI in the Falcon last year and EcoBoost coming in the Falcon this year – yet the overhang of the speculation about the future impacts employee morale and customers unfortunately.
“So this is an unprecedented move for us. We’re actually talking about a product cycle, a manufacturing cycle beyond the next couple of years – that’s not normal for us – to provide some certainty and to remove some of this … speculation around what’s going to happen.
Further to this... let's remind ourselves of Hinrichs comments..
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“You wouldn’t build a new one (plant) to do that (build 45,000 vehicles),” he said, “but it’s a different dynamic when you have an existing portfolio of tooling, equipment and assets and when you have a workforce and a government that’s willing to open dialogues and find different business cases.
“We’re not in the business of losing money, so does that mean there’s a 20-year plan? No. It gives us several years together to work out what the alternatives are. You wouldn’t design a system to do 40,000 units, but you also wouldn’t cut it off if it’s profitable.
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Ford shows teaser video of its heavily upgraded 2014 Falcon at today’s Sydney show
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...3186566873.jpg
Ford Australia used this morning’s Sydney motor show opening to reveal a teaser video of the heavily upgraded Falcon that will be released in 2014.
The fleeting teaser footage – a screen-grab of which is pictured here – was played on a large video screen and revealed only the front-end of the 2014 Falcon.
However, clearly evident in the video are a new bonnet, headlights, front quarter guards, bumper and grille, supporting news from motoring.com.au sources that the FG Falcon’s midlife makeover will in fact be an all-new ‘top hat’.
The extensive Falcon upgrade indicates the iconic Ford large car will continue to be produced at the Blue Oval’s Melbourne assembly plant beyond 2016, despite the fact Ford has not committed to local manufacturing beyond that year.
As one Ford insider told motoring.com.au: “The investment is far too great and the upgrade far too extensive to only last three years”.
“We're really excited about Falcon, and what it represents to our portfolio,” said Ford Australia President Bob Graziano.
“And we think given our recent announcement about investment in January that it is important that we show people where we are heading with Falcon.
“It' s a terrific product and we're really looking forward to having the vehicle in the showrooms in 2014,” he said.
http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2012...n-teased-33119
