Thread regarding Ford layoffs

This comparison deserved its own thread…new business at GM compared to Ford Next

Why does it take Ford ten times the people and three times as long to get to revenue producing businesses? Perhaps using engineers rather than non engineers makes a difference?

Inside General Motors Co.'s Global Technical Center are teams of people creating new vehicles, but one of them is dedicated to completely different design projects.

From logos to refrigerated carts, charging stations to buildings, the product and experience team that's part of GM's industrial design organization has large tasks on hand, and all of them are crucial for the automaker's electric, techcentered future.

The team of about 40 is essentially a creative design firm within the legacy automaker, helping its brands better define their identities and project them to the public. They also are helping complete the brand experience by designing the products that accompany vehicles, such as the electric vehicle chargers for models powered by Ultium, GM's EV platform.

“We're here because it's good business and we can save money, but ... fortunately, we're positioned to be able to reach out and find opportunities,” said Jeff Nield, GM's design director of product and experience, global industrial design.”

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| 1771 views | | 9 replies (last April 26, 2023) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1mi6mOH2

9 replies (most recent on top)

Ford Next should be cut today, the whole organization. Not one single usable innovation has ever come from them. It's Ford's loser repository. The people are rude and clueless whiners, fire the whole lot today. huge waste of money

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Post ID: @2gzm+1mi6mOH2

@1lbb
Please name ONE of the “many successes,” I’ll wait. Forever.

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Post ID: @1weu+1mi6mOH2

Please do not pay attention to these negative posts and vendetta towards Ford Next. There have been many successes that came from Ford Next and will come in the future. It will pay to be patient.

Discussion about Ford Next has nothing to do with layoffs or this forum.

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Post ID: @1lbb+1mi6mOH2

GM is smart enough to hire people WITH AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE. Jeff N WAS a Ford employee - got screwed at Ford and jumped to obviously do well as GM.
Next is lead by a l0s3r from Renault as well as fakes from HP and the biggest fake of all, c m0r@n!
Next produces nothing yet drains insane amounts of money and resources.
Shareholders and investors are well aware and demanding accountability, LL5s were asked to sign NDAs for upcoming terminations, hopefully in the incompetent leaders of Next as shown the exit door.

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Post ID: @1rcq+1mi6mOH2

Remember what the government and media constantly indoctrinates all the kids and ignorant adults to believe: Diversity is our strength ! Ford simply needs to get rid of all the white men, and the company will thrive, . . . right ?

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Post ID: @1cyy+1mi6mOH2

Ford does not want engineers with actual engineering experience or ability. Ford wants "engineers" who can manage full-service suppliers with engineers. I was an engineer at a tier 1 supplier to Ford and I got so frustrated at the complete lack of manufacturing / design experience the Ford "engineers" possessed. The joke was that we (tier 1) should charge Ford for teaching their "engineers". That was also the time Ford's quality started to go to sh!t and it is only getting worse. The only good thing to come out of working with Ford's engineering is their manager offered me a job and 20 years later I am a highly over paid program manager "engineer". My advice to everyone is take advantage of every opportunity Ford offers in training and financially. When you max out your opportunities, cash out. Ford is sending our jobs to Mexico anyways, so get what you can. Fifty-five cannot get here soon enough for me.

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Post ID: @pra+1mi6mOH2

CAT was very similar only the culture included designers who were experienced and technical. The career paths were different so long term continuous learning was always encouraged and you could make a career go in almost any direction over time. What I think was unusual about CAT was the ability to search for answers to problems from all over the place and to take inputs from everybody seriously. Good ideas, even breakthrough ideas can come from anybody and anywhere. To test their veracity a very technical test and analysis community was needed, but getting your thoughts (from the assembly line to the shop custodian) in front of a design review was easy. Culture makes the difference, degrees can help. Attitude is big part too. Modern day CAT has lost some of that.

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Post ID: @jll+1mi6mOH2

The Ford culture is the problem.
The Ford culture rewards unproductive and untoward behaviors not merit. Every group at Ford that I have worked with / worked in at best contained 20% truly competent and productive employees. The remaining 80% could be chopped and productivity would actually soar. But as it turns out the 80% ganged up on the 20% and bullied them, taking credit for their work, blaming and shaming them, and conducting whisper/smear campaigns against them with leadership. Sounds rather like the behavior that JF exhibited in his road to CEO eh?
What always happens is the 20% leave Ford and since the remaining 80% aren’t competent so Ford goes on yet another hiring spree.
Oddly enough the 80% have convinced themselves that they are good employees.

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Post ID: @vzd+1mi6mOH2

I believe there's truth to the opening statement. Ford will not let anyone work in a engineering capacity that does not have an engineering degree while GM will. Having an engineering degree is not the equivalent of natural mechanical aptitude or creativity, both of which are key elements of the automotive design process. GM is taking advantage of natural skills and they're supplementing them with engineering degrees, or vice versa depending on the need and the team. Watch a Ford engineering team work and collaborate and you'll quickly discern between those who are good at and enjoy what they do versus those who are there solely for the pay.

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Post ID: @odn+1mi6mOH2

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