F-150 Production is Stronger, Faster and More Advanced
It is getting stronger, lighter, and more technology, but that hasn’t slowed down the production of the new Ford F-150. Thanks to Ford’s Aligned Business Framework, supplier innovations reach customers faster and suppliers are getting feedback nearly as quickly. What new tech is coming out and how is it all working?
Part of that speed in supplier innovations is thanks to the Matched Pairs system. It allows those innovations Ford suppliers create to reach customers quicker by providing a more robust tracking of new technologies.
The frame work encourages more communication between Ford and Suppliers, offers greater opportunities to increase scale, and gets product design into the process much faster than before.
“Considering the impact suppliers have on our business, with 70 percent of the value of the vehicle being purchased from our supplier partners, our suppliers are critical to our ability to offer attractive solutions to our customers,” said Hau Thai-Tang, group vice president of Ford Global Purchasing.
“Ford’s Aligned Business Framework, which we introduced close to ten years ago, fosters an environment of transparency and will continue to guide our close relationships with our suppliers.”
Then there is the Executive Business Technology Review, a system that allows Ford senior leadership to be involved in the development and purchasing and even seeing the latest technology their suppliers are creating.
Here are some things coming from these portions of the Aligned Business Framework for the F-150.
Stronger, lighter high-strength steel frame, 2015 F-150: As part of Ford’s collaboration with Metalsa, the company used tailor-rolled blanks with variable material thickness, patented structures that reduce material usage without decreasing performance, increased high-strength steel from 22 percent to 77 percent.
And improved joining to take more than 60 pounds out of the frame while improving rigidity and enabling higher towing and hauling ratings.
Segment-first LED headlamps, 2015 F-150: Ford collaborated with OSRAM and Flex-n-Gate to design an innovative full-solid-state headlamp design that saves energy, is designed for longevity, and casts a much brighter and clearer light down the road than halogen or incandescent lamps.
A jewel-like optical cube channels light energy from a single LED chip to provide optimal lighting and visibility.
“Many technologies on the road today were developed as a result of our supplier relationships,” said Thai-Tang. “We will continue to strive to be our suppliers’ customer of choice through our continued new product introductions and emphasis on technology excellence.”