Ford’s New-Model Quality Center

Ford Motor Company has invested $208 million to build a New-Model Quality Center in the Dearborn Glass Plant at the Rouge site which was just recently opened. The center was specifically designed to help support the introduction of the 2009 F-150 pickup and eventually ensure its top quality.

According to Mark Fields, president of The Americas, Ford Motor Company, “Our recent launches have shown that we are among the best in the industry in quality … The New-Model Quality Center at the Rouge will ensure the same top quality for the new F-150 when it goes on sale next fall.”

In the center, Ford will be testing the vehicles and training the employees for the next-generation F-150.

Fields said, “In our design studios, in our product development laboratories and in our manufacturing plants, quality is our top priority … Our teams are showing incredible discipline in following the processes and adhering to the highest standards.”

The center will help provide training on key assembly processes for a third of Dearborn Truck’s 3,200 employees. Employees are expected to be trained on workstations, designed to replicate those in the chasses and final assembly areas. There will be two workstations that will allow in-depth study of the F-150’s new frame. Other workstations will be provided with platforms that can be raised and lowered depending on the employee’s height and job requirements. Within it, employees will have the chance to learn installation procedures of new parts and components.

In a news release, Bennie Fowler, vice president for Ford Quality, said, “Our vehicle quality has shown dramatic improvement this year because we’ve standardized a set of rigid processes throughout the design, development and manufacturing of our vehicles … The New-Model Quality Center at Dearborn Truck represents an important part of the quality process in manufacturing.”

Ford currently has a quality center at each assembly plant in North America.