...Executive Summary: Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903 in Michigan,USA by Henry Ford and 11 partners with a starting capital of 28000 US $ in cash. The company witnessed tremendous growth and became one of the top three car manufacturers in North America. Sales reached 150 billion $ in 1996 with a total of 370,000 work force worldwide. The company stayed innovative and progressive in its strategy and business model. In the 1970's, the car market became more competitive with the Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda gaining grounds in the auto market worldwide by producing high quality vehicles with extended life time. In 1999 Ford acquired the Swedish company Volvo to establish a foot hold in Europe and launched a campaign called "Ford 2000"to reengineer the company infrastructure and IT strategy that aimed at reducing their vehicle centers to 5 worldwide and requiring information technology to be the driving force and the link between the various company divisions. In doing so, Ford was trying to build a model similar to the one adopted by Dell computers to improve supply chain and delivery times. Dell launched the "direct business model" or "virtual integration" where Dell contracted with reliable suppliers to produce and assemble hardware and software for its computers and note books and tried to sell its products directly to organizations and individuals through the internet by cancelling the role of the retailers or intermediaries. I recommend the implementation...
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...Case 10: Ford: Supply Chain Strategy I. Introduction/Background Ford Motor Company is widely regarded as one of America’s premier automotive manufacturers and the second largest industrial corporation in the world, with operations in over 200 countries. Ford was established by Henry Ford in 1903, and is still standing strong today. Although Ford has significant revenues from its financial services, its core business is the design and manufacturing of motor vehicles. Due to overcapacity within the automobile industry, Ford developed a restructuring plan called Ford 2000 that focused on globalizing corporate organizations and taking advantage of economies of scale. Ford 2000 completely re-engineered several of Ford’s key processes including the Ford Production System (FPS) and Order to Delivery (OTD). FPS was created to convert Ford’s supply chain from a push strategy to a pull strategy. To increase supply chain efficiency, Ford aimed at reducing the number of suppliers that had accumulated over the years. Ford accomplished this by developing a closer, long term relationship with fewer suppliers referred to as “Tier 1” suppliers. These suppliers would provide complete vehicle subsystems for Ford. Tier 1 suppliers work closely with several Tier 2 suppliers who provide the components for the Tier 1 subsystems. Another initiative taken by Ford to improve their supply chain was the Ford Retail Network. This helped reduce competition among its dealership in the same region...
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...Ford Motor Company – Case Study Jason Austin Denine Rood Jeanne Sands Like apple pie and a summer baseball game, Ford Motor Company has come to symbolize America, the land of opportunity. This America is a place where a person with scarcely any means can take little more than an idea and transform it into one of the most successful companies in the world. This is the story of Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. Consider the following quote from the Ford Web site. Ford Motor Company entered the business world on June 16, 1903, when Henry Ford and 11 business associates signed the company's articles of incorporation. With $28,000 in cash, the pioneering industrialists gave birth to what was to become one of the world's largest corporations. Few companies are as closely identified with the history and development of industry and society throughout the 20th century as Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford and his business partners where true entrepreneurs. Today, when we think about Ford, we think about innovation. From Henry Ford’s revolutionary idea of the assembly line to the new vehicles that Ford introduces every day, innovation has always been a cornerstone of Ford’s business. One little known fact is that Ford embraced QFD (Quality Function Deployment) , a Japanese quality methodology, into their product design process significantly earlier than most companies in the United States. This embracing of new ideology has led Ford to offer products...
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...------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Ford Motor Company Case Report ------------------------------------------------- Executive Summary Ford Motor Company has a long history, starting in Michigan in 1903. They have focused on designing and manufacturing and have been very successful, however with increasing competition, global markets and over-capacity the company needs to look at ways to improve profitability. The company has implemented various programs and processes to create a lean, responsive system with better consumer forecasting. Their challenge is to continue to research ways to stay viable in current market and industry conditions. Dell Computers has been very successful with a direct model and virtual integration that may or not work well for Ford. CONTENTS * ISSUE 3 * ANALYSIS 4 * ALTERNATIVES 6 * RECOMMENDATIONS 7 * IMPLEMENTATION 8 * CONCLUSION 8 * REFERENCES 9 * ISSUE: The Ford Motor Company is facing a number of challenges including the direction of CEO Jac Nasser to focus on customer responsiveness and shareholder value to deal with increasing competitiveness, an industry with potential over-capacity and the expansion into globalized markets. Ford had begun to implement systems to reduce cycle-time, improve quality and to lower costs. Programs included consolidating product development into five Vehicle Centres (VCs), reeingineered...
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...Ford Motor Company Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Issue Identification 5 - 7 Environment and Root Cause Analysis 8 - 9 Alternatives and Options 10-11 Recommendations 12 Implementation 13-14 Monitor and Control 15 Conclusion 16 Ford Motor Company Executive Summary As director of Supply Chain Systems, Teri Takai recommends implementing virtual integration strategies from companies like Dell to portions of Ford’s supply chain strategy. Although there are several key differences between the companies, the restructuring plans of Ford 2000 have set a viable foundation to implement Dell’s virtual integration strategy in inventory management, customer service and support and suppliers’ management. The redesign of the process must include design not only of the supply chain but also of fulfillment, forecasting, purchasing, and a variety of other functions that historically been considered independently within the Ford hierarchy. Teri believes that implementing virtual integration by building on Ford’s key initiatives and projects including Ford Production Systems (FPS), Order to Delivery (OTD) and Ford Retail Network (FRN) that are currently underway will make their supply chain run more smoothly with less bottlenecking, reduced inventory, and better overall...
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...FORD MOTOR COMPANY’S | SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY | | | 11/13/2012 | *The Virtual Integration Model Analysis at Ford Motor Company, to Companies like Dell* EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As director of Supply Chain Systems, I have decided to implement portions of the new supply chain strategy of Virtual Integration and strategies from companies like Dell. Although there are several key differences between the companies, Dell’s virtual integration strategy can be applied to Ford’s supply chain operation. A modification of the virtual integration system currently used by Dell could be applied to Ford’s dependent supplier base, distribution system, dealerships and divisions. Special care will need to be taken to address the unique dependency of our custom Tier 1 supplier. The management of lower tier suppliers of general or generic components would be more effectively suited by the standard procedures used by Dell. In order to adopt the Dell Model we would: · Sell direct · Mass-produce customized products · Build to order · Substitute virtual integration with suppliers for vertical integration If we at Ford could find a solution to the obstacles of virtual integration, which I will explain in detail below. It could essentially make our supply chain run smoothly with less bottlenecking, inventory, and better overall performance. Managers could overcome the complex and error-prone manual process of forecasting and procuring parts which would result in reduced...
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...external factors have made Ford realize they need to explore solutions to deal with the supply chain challenges leading to cost and the reality they are facing and may continue to face in the future. The majority of issues in Ford’s present chain result from inefficient control of their large supplier base and the complexity of their supplier network in addition to inability to communicate to server their end customers. Ford has realized the urgent need to change their supply chain in order to be more cost effective and more profitable for its shareholders. Since Dell and Ford are two different types of markets, one is in the computer manufacturing/distribution business and the other is in the automobile business, it does not seem right for Ford to implement the exact “virtual integration model” deployed by Dell. The fact the car buyer usually wants to touch and feel the car before they make a purchase of a car would put Ford at risk of losing their customers to the competitors. On the other hand when customers buy computers on-line they don’t have to worry about touching and testing the computers and they require a better price than the other retail avenues to buy computers. Some other considerations in this case are the consideration of the buying frequency of cars versus computers and financing requirements for a car versus a computer. Another consideration would be the number of suppliers to support Ford manufacturing versus Dell’s computer manufacturing. Although the...
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...fields apply to Dell, the company my team has selected for our TLO project. I feel that discussing the ways in which Dell is currently marketing itself, Dell’s marketing plans for the future, and the ways in which Dell could enhance its marketing abilities and strategies will pertain directly to my intended major and help give me a better understanding of what marketing truly is. One way in which Dell is trying to promote itself is by expanding its product line. Dell, just like its three major competitors (Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and Apple Computer) is trying to depart from its desktop roots by marketing consumer electronics. These new consumer electronics are directed straight to customer’s living rooms including such products as wide-screen televisions, digital cameras, videogame consoles, downloaded-music players, camcorders and digital-video recorders. In reference to Dell’s new consumer electronics product line Steve Milunovich, technology strategist at Merrill Lynch, says that Dell is, "the Wal-Mart of technology" (citation). This is due to the fact that Dell could potentially reap huge benefits from this expansion into consumer electronics. In addition due to Dell’s past and current success it can be aggressive on price while still earning attractive profits. Dell, which has already established its profitability in selling desktops, believes that introducing a line of electronics will help to promote the convergence of computers and media. Dell is also trying...
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...observe the applicable changes that occur in the environment and devise policies to adjust to variations. For a company to succeed, a company needs to conquer the trials of the constant shifting environment. Environmental scanning is a process of analyzing, monitoring, and evaluating the information from the internal and external environments to certain people in the corporation (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010). Conducting an environmental scan for the two following companies will offer a background to increase chances and distribute the resources in expectation of the changes in the environment. The competitive advantage, measurement guidelines, and the effectiveness of the measurement guideline will be reported on for Ford and Dell. Ford The Ford Motor Company has been a force in the automotive industry since the early 1900’s. Ford has been a company that has endured trials and tribulations and has even recently been able to prevail in our economic downfall. An analysis of their standards, views, missions and values, we can understand how it is that they have remained a strong force within the automotive industry. Ford takes a unifying approach in their business stance when concerning their mission. Their mission is to work as "ONE Ford" with the focus, team work and a single global approach, aligning employee efforts towards a common definition of success" (Ford n.d., para. 3). They also incorporate a “One Plan” approach addressing Ford’s approach to their products. The...
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...Company Background and History In 1995, to reduce cost and increase efficiency, Ford 2000 was developed to reengineer company processes including Order to Delivery (OTD) and Ford Production System (FPS) with a primary strategic goal of decreasing OTD from 60+ days to less than 15. A company-wide Intranet was launched in 1996 and expanded to include business-to-business (B2B) capacity by January 1997 including the Automotive Network Exchange (ANX) and the public Internet site went live in 1995. By 1997, the Internet site had more than 1 million hits per day. Ford was honoured as most improved automaker in the 1997 JD Power Initial Quality Study and by 1998 it acquired Volvo and surpassed Chrysler in profit per vehicle ($1770) while total profit hit $6.9 billion. Ford Motor Company is the second largest industrial corporation in the world operating in 200 countries around the globe with 180 manufacturing plants. Issues Teri Takai, Director of Supply Chain Systems is contemplating recommendations on information technologies (e.g., Internet technologies) from new high-tech industries could alter how Ford interacts with suppliers. • One group favoring "virtual integration" like Dell. • Another group believes differences between the auto business and computer manufacturing is substantive. Relative to Dell, Ford’s supplier network has more layers and companies, and Ford’s purchasing organization was more prominent and independent than Dell's....
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...Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Strategy Attn: Jac Nasser, CEO Dear Mr. Nasser Please find attached the report as requested Yours Truly, Teri Takai Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Strategy ------------------------------------------------- Case Study Response Executive Summary As Director of Supply Chain Systems and decision maker on if we should proceed with the Virtual Integration Model I have carefully analysed all aspects of this model to see if it could work within Ford and the Automobile industry. We have a rich history of success and working through difficult challenges and I have no doubt that we will do so again with the right decision on this model. The Automobile industry is a complex one with many suppliers, parts, dealerships, competitors and all this is now happening in a global market. This complexity makes efficiencies difficult to implement and drives up the costs our supply chain. Many efficiencies would require the cooperation of both internal and external parties and would require significant investment. Ford’s main problem with their current system is the inefficient usage of their huge data base, the complex network of suppliers, the presence of many independent distributors who are making forecasting difficult and the lack of direct communication with customers. Through my review I have come to the conclusion that the full implementation of the Dell Model would not work; the way customers buy cars and computers in this day and...
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...Ford Motor Case Study Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Issue Identification 5 Environmental and Root Cause Analysis 6 Alternatives and Options 8 Recommendations 10 Implementation 11 Monitor and Control 12 Exhibits 13 Executive Summary After reviewing Ford Motor supply chain, we became aware of its very complex nature. Due to this complexity we are forced to search for alternatives to overcome the costly supply chain challenges faced by our industry both now and in the future. The present system has an inefficient control of a large database and a vast and complex network of suppliers. We need to change our supply chain in order to make it more cost effective and profitable. After careful analysis we recommend the implementation of a partial virtual integration system, similar to the system used by Dell Computers. With this system, Ford will use information technology and the internet to interact and transact with both their suppliers and their customers. Ford can increase their sales by providing better customer service and faster communication from the supply end through to the manufacturing division and right on to their end user, the customer. This system will be implemented with their existing supply chain so Ford will cover both markets at the same time. If Ford concentrated only on the virtual system their competition would put them out of business, so...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ford Motor Company started in Michigan in 1903. They have focused on designing and manufacturing that had been successful, however with increasing competition globally and increase capacity it needs to look at ways to improve profitability. Ford Challenge is to continue to research ways to be viable in the market and industry conditions. Dell Computers had been very successful with their virtual integration. However, since Dell and Ford are different types of industries, computer manufacturing and auto industry respectively, it does not seem right for Ford to implement exactly what Dell has which is “virtual integration model”. Realizing an urgent need to change their supply chain in order to make it more cost effective and more profitable, what I am thinking is Ford can partially implement and execute the virtual integration direct business model that has been used by Dell should be applied to Ford’s supplier base, distribution system and dealership. Through this model, Ford will use the emerging information technologies as well as new ideas from new technologies of other industries in order to transact with their dealers, suppliers, affiliates and customer. Ford can also boost its sales by providing better customer service and faster communication between dealers, suppliers, affiliates and customers in value chain. By measuring the performance of this model, Ford should schedule periodical review and evaluation meetings. All improvements along the...
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... SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN IT APPLICATIONS SUMMER 2 2014 Case 1 Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Strategy Assignment Questions: 1. Based on your reading of the Harvard Business Review interview with Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computers, what is your conclusion about the advantages Dell derives from virtual integration? How important are these advantages in the auto business? Explanation: Michael Dell’s insight on innovative combination of customer focus, supplier partnership, mass customization and just in time manufacturing enabled the coordination across company’s boundaries to achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity as well as extraordinary returns to investors. Michael dell termed it as virtual integration. Virtual...
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...Ford Motor Company Case Study Executive Summary The Ford motor company has been a progressive leader throughout the history of the company. In order maintain this leadership, it has had to adapt to the ever changing business environment and market conditions. With the emergence of new information technologies and ideas from new high-tech industries, it must evaluate how these tools can be utilized to further the business. Recently, virtual integration has been proven very successful to companies like Dell and Cisco. However, this approach is best suited for companies that have very few layers of suppliers as well as more centralized production. The Ford motor company cannot simply change their entire supply chain to fit this model. That being said, some of these theories and practices can still be incorporated into Ford’s current supply chain. These must be calculated changes, involving various departments within Ford’s organization, collaborating with their most valued and dynamic suppliers. With Ford already moving somewhat toward this direction with suppliers who provide complete subsystems for their automobiles, further changes in these areas should prove feasible with limited risk. Issues • Determining whether or not to incorporate the virtual integration model used by other recently successful firms such as Cisco and Dell • Uncertainty on how to utilize emerging information technologies to interact with suppliers • Many...
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