Post-2016 Falcon News and Discussion.

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

much like an au, maybe the reaction from the au was noticed over there...

AU was a different, it was either 'tolerate it' or 'hate it'.

Falcon isnt a default family car anymore, it needs to be a bit polarising.

[bmorris]

Car industry encouraged to manufacture in Thailand

Australia's car industry is being encouraged to shift its parts manufacturing to Thailand.

A forum held by the country's Board of Investment in Melbourne on Wednesday was told low wages and tax breaks mean it is cheaper to make parts in Thailand.

The forum coincides with the launch of a multi-million dollar Federal Government program aimed at propping up Australian car parts makers.

Sally Vitoorapakorn, the managing director of booming Thai company Aeroklas, which employs 800 workers at its car parts factory near Bangkok, was at the seminar in Melbourne.

She says Australian companies should look at sending parts manufacturing offshore.

"Australian companies are very difficult in terms producing to compete in the same industry and from my view I think Thailand is the best to support," she said.

"It doesn't mean that you should close down factory in Australia, but should have both."



Audio: Listen to the story (PM)


Thailand will produce about two million cars this year.

Thai companies already make some car parts for firms including Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda.

Ms Vitoorapakorn says wage levels in Thailand make it a much cheaper base for manufacturing than Australia.

"Thailand is much cheaper for labour costs. The nature of Thai, they are very good in technical things, we are very skilful and also easy to handle because of the Thai culture," she said.

"We are very easy and we are eager to learn."

'Snatch and grab'

But the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union's (AMWU) Steve Dargavel says labour rates are just one factor.

"Labour rates are actually a small part of the equation," he said.

"There's plenty of economies that are doing great with manufacturing on higher wage costs than ours.

"It's actually about skills; we've got to build and economy based on skills. We can have successful manufacturing base and the Thais are explaining to us why it's really important and it's clearly valuable because they're throwing it a lot at our economy to pinch it."

The Victorian minister for manufacturing, Richard Dalla Riva, agrees.

"It's not just about cheap labour and high volume output, it's also about the logistics, it's also about the innovation, it's also about the IP," he said.

"A lot of the technologically advanced manufacturing competencies that come out of Victoria, that come out of Australia, is because we have that smarts about us."

The Australian industry is still struggling with the fallout from hundreds of jobs cut at Ford, Holden and Toyota this year.

There have also been cutbacks at parts maker CMI Industrial, and the collapse of another supplier, APV automotive components earlier this month.

Mr Dargavel says tax breaks and other incentives offered by the Thai government should show how important manufacturing is to a nation's economy.

"It's because industry's really valuable, that's why the Thais are trying to do a snatch and grab here and we need to understand the value and support our industry and keep it," he said.

'Nothing unusual'

Federal Minister for Industry Greg Combet today launched a $35 million government plan to help car parts makers develop new products and markets.

He says Thailand's interest in Australian manufacturing is nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's not unusual, and we do exactly the same thing, for trade missions to go to other countries to seek investment," he said.

"But the important thing, from our standpoint, is that we want our industry to prosper and to do that it's got to be competitive."

One of the organisers of today's forum was an Australian advisor to the Thailand Board of Investment, Linsey Siede, who is also the managing director of the government-funded lobby group Automotive Supplier Excellence Australia.

He declined to comment on concerns about a conflict of interest between the two roles.

Automotive Supplier Excellence Australia also declined to comment.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Tim Beissmann

Ford introducing One Manufacturing global production system


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.

Ford global manufacturing vice president John Fleming says the ‘One Manufacturing’ system will lead to improved efficiencies and increased plant capacity utilisation.

“The global One Ford plan is making it possible for us to deploy One Manufacturing, a single Ford production system that will pay tremendous dividends through standard processes, greater flexibility and improved investment efficiency,” Fleming said.

“It is critical that all of our assembly operations, wherever they are located, speak the same language when it comes to producing high-quality vehicles in a safe and efficient way.”

Ford is boosting its production capacity around the world, particularly in our Asia Pacific Africa (APA) region, where it is adding nine new plants. The new facilities will boost Ford APA’s capacity to 2.9 million vehicles per year, as Ford targets eight million global sales per year by the middle of this decade.

Under the One Manufacturing system, some plants will be capable of producing up to seven different models, and each of the new factories will get its own flexible body shop.

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.”

Source

A positive artical for once.

[Road_Warrior]

You can't say that, you'll upset all the Ford haters and trolls on the site.

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

You can't say that, you'll upset all the Ford haters and trolls on the site.

Wish I had a dollar for every time you've said that. Almost as old as the ford haters and trolls on this site.

What's peoples thoughts on a Ford AU designed "Falcon" replacement, manufactured overseas? The ranger gets props for being a Aussie design yet is manufactured off shore.

[Luke Plaizier]

No props from me for local design with offshore build. I'm a strong believer in keeping local manufacturing alive.

I don't mind if the local design is not connected to the local build - ie local-design-offshore-build blended with offshore-design-local-build. But I wouldn't drop one or the other. That way if the economy ever changes again, we stand some chance of reconnecting the two.


Lukeyson

[jpd80]

The next Falcon is the first car ever to be designed built and pilloried on Ford forums long before Ford starts work on it..

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by jpd80

The next Falcon is the first car ever to be designed built and pilloried on Ford forums long before Ford starts work on it..

Tis the truth ..... Could be the best, most technically advanced, most economical, whatevers at a 40% decrease in cost and would still be set upon and ridiculed even before pen is set to the design board.

Yes. Australian designed and manufactured Falcon would be great but the realization of something else needs to be accepted. It is a terrible waiting game and a big shame, disappointing, etc but it is becoming inevitable that there will be changes. Enjoy it now and will need to wait to see what happens as it is still quite a while off yet.

[Bossxr8]

I had to walk through the tool room today to go to a meeting, the first time I have been through there in a year or so, and man is it depressing in there.

It used to be a very busy, noisy place. Now the lights are out, no ones around and you could hear the rain on the factory roof its so quiet. Most of the workshops are padlocked shut and all of the presses down that end aren't in operation.

It used to be the biggest tool room in the southern hemisphere, now its a ghost town. Very sad.

[FERG_51]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I had to walk through the tool room today to go to a meeting, the first time I have been through there in a year or so, and man is it depressing in there.

It used to be a very busy, noisy place. Now the lights are out, no ones around and you could hear the rain on the factory roof its so quiet. Most of the workshops are padlocked shut and all of the presses down that end aren't in operation.

It used to be the biggest tool room in the southern hemisphere, now its a ghost town. Very sad.

That must really hurt, not good.

[jpd80]

FoA was ahead of the game having had some Euro design and manufacturing
processes when the FG was released, in particular the EUCD doors and the RGOR assembly...
It sounds like clever preservation of the Falcon by progressively become more like a
EUCD-CD4 car regardless of whether it eventually becomes a FWD or stays RWD

Lots of tech can be shared with the CD4 program before 2016, all those neat gadgets,
electrical wiring harness, maybe HVAC - lots of unseen stuff that saves money without
ever changing the functional capability of what we know as a Falcon...

A nice, light RWD new era Falcon that weighs not much more than a Mondeo but with
much more internal hip and shoulder width, such a car could theoretically be driven by
similar engines available in the Fusion/Mondeo range, everything from 2.5 I-4 or 1.6 EB
to 2.0 EB, heck even V6 and V8 options if needed..

The most urgent need is to cut the cost of getting a new Falcon to market, closely followed by
weight reduction allowing the increased use of up to date Ford engine technology that allows
Ford to reposition falcon as the big car with small car fuel economy at a mid sized car price..

[Luke Plaizier]

Acronym decryption assistance required.


Lukeyson

[Nikked]

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

[Nikked]

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2012...croscope-31962

Ford Australia marketing and product planning teams will shortly begin weekly meetings with Ford North America to draft a workable plan for Falcon’s future, according to a senior executive for the company.

“The Falcon is at a critical tipping point in Australia,” the executive told motoring.com.au, under condition of anonymity. And tipping or not may have already been decided by the market, based on VFACTS figures for the large sedan over the past 12 months.

“You can look at Falcon’s sales statistics and trends,” said our source, “Falcon sales are trending downward along with the entire D-segment cars. You don’t need to trend too far out to see that continuing with Falcon doesn’t make sense.”

The problem for Ford ditching the Falcon, however, is three-fold. What happens to Territory, or the Falcon Ute, for one thing?

The SUV shares its platform with the Falcon and has outsold the sedan in recent months. Would Ford willingly walk away from combined sales of nearly 40,000 locally manufactured vehicles sold last year? That could be the difference between short-term profit and a large-scale loss.

The Mondeo might soak up some Falcon sales and the Ranger may displace the Falcon Ute to an extent, but the Kuga is too small to suit typical Territory buyers.

That would leave Ford no option — assuming the company wants to remain part of the large SUV segment — other than importing the Explorer. Even then, those imported models are unlikely to yield the same market share as the locally built models.

Secondly, would the end of Falcon mean the end of local manufacturing? Our source hasn't been clear about that. If the local engine and vehicle assembly plants were to close, retrenching staff would be costly in the short term. And what would be done with the existing manufacturing facilities?

If, on the other hand, the local plants switch over to building new designs to replace Falcon, Ute and Territory, can those new models be assured of selling better than the current ones?

The third problem for Ford Australia is a combination of brand perception and an uphill struggle to market and promote what has been generally regarded as one of the best volume-selling product ranges in Australia.

Our source looks to brands such as Hyundai/Kia which has reinvented itself with inspired design influences from its new design studio in Frankfurt, Germany and a diligent product plan that pins fuel efficiency and driving dynamics atop the list of brand qualities.

But it might be argued that Ford in Australia is hamstrung by its iconic status. Can the company reinvent itself when many prospective buyers still associate the brand with taxis at one end of the spectrum, or V8 Supercars at the other?

Our source claims Ford Australia will need to learn how to engage new Australian buyers and create desire. “How we do that will be an important topic of our weekly conversations.”

That suggests that Ford in the US is unhappy with Ford Australia's overall sales and marketing performance in recent times. Focus and Fiesta sales combined for 2011 totalled around 25,000 units — a long way shy of the combined VFACTS tally of over 45,000 units for Holden's Cruze, Barina and Barina Spark.

Mazda2 and Mazda3 together notched up nearly 59,000 sales and Toyota's Corolla and Yaris sales aggregate came to around 52,000 for 2011. These are the segments (light and small-car in VFACTS, or B and C segments) where Ford's management team in the US believes the Australian arm needs to be more active, rather than the large-car/D segment where the Falcon is positioned.

Falcon sales may be a long way down from where they were in the mid-1990s, but last year the sedan sold nearly three times the number of Mondeos pushed out the door. Could Ford sell more Mondeos if the Falcon weren't around?

All these issues, and more, will be likely topics of conversation during the weekly review, but there's already one positive outcome, according to our source. Australia may be geographically part of Asia and the Pacific region in Ford's world, but it is a very different market, demographically.

“We know Australians have very different buying habits and desire different product features than do Asian markets. We need to do a better job of building customer interest in new Ford products, and we need to improve how we introduce new products to market in Australia.”

[Road_Warrior]

Hardly surprising, there is nothing there that isn’t already in the public domain. The rest of it is all common sense stuff and theorising for discussion.

We already know Ford won’t be allowing another all-new, Australia only Falcon, they’ve been saying thatfor 2 years now. Given the focus and scrutiny being applied to everything about the Falcon, it is little wonder they are having a weekly hookup to talk about how it’s going and what the future holds. They want to be sure they are making the right decision, whatever that decision may be. Get it wrong, and it could be a costly disaster – something they can’t afford right now.

[Nikked]

Gotta keep the thread bumped some how lol

[Franco Cozzo]

One of my mates works at Sunbury Ford and he mentioned that they barely sell any Kuga's, they've maybe sold 2 or 3 of them. But EcoLPI Falcon ute is very popular at that particular dealership.

[Sinead Phipps]

Hey Nikked - I was asked about that CarPoint story today by another journalist. It really is a non-story with not one single quote attributed to a source who is willing to put their name to it.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Sinead Phipps

Hey Nikked - I was asked about that CarPoint story today by another journalist. It really is a non-story with not one single quote attributed to a source who is willing to put their name to it.

Thanks.

Some up the situation with the press lately, they all seem to like to make nothing out of something.

Good to know that Ford PR are keeping an eye on the forums too.

[Sinead Phipps]

LOL - we're here, we're just careful about interfering too much. In some cases, we can't provide answers to the questions that are being asked for obvious reasons but we're taking notice of what the issues and concerns are - and trying to do something about it where we can.

[prydey]

welcome aboard Sinead Phipps. I'm sure your contributions will be greatly appreciated.

[Nikked]

Any contributions are handy for us bunch...and much welcomed.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Sinead Phipps

LOL - we're here, we're just careful about interfering too much. In some cases, we can't provide answers to the questions that are being asked for obvious reasons but we're taking notice of what the issues and concerns are - and trying to do something about it where we can.

Thanks Sinead, and welcome.

Irresponsible media speculation gets on our goat too, but I would have thought Carpoint was more credible than the usual suspects *coughFairfaxcough*

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Sinead Phipps

LOL - we're here, we're just careful about interfering too much. In some cases, we can't provide answers to the questions that are being asked for obvious reasons but we're taking notice of what the issues and concerns are - and trying to do something about it where we can.

Hi Sinead and welcome.

As you've just demonstrated, a gentle nudge in the right direction is enough to quash some wrong thinking.

Glad if you can knock down red herrings from time to time..

John

[jpd80]

Ford would not be down balancing and preparing a 2014 Falcon if they were at a said "tipping point" the idea is ludicrous..
Especially with sales of TDCI and high series Territory so strong and exports beginning to Thailand..

To Ford, the diesel Territory is the financial equivalent of Holden's V8 sales but way more drought resistant...

The best we can hope for is steady evolution of Falcon and Territory towards one Ford,
replacing unique local parts with say, global wiring harness, switchgear, heating ventillation equipment
is all attainable and saves boat loads at redesign stage, maybe Falcon can evolve into 2016 car and pick
even more parts being designed for other vehicles elsewhere....

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by jpd80

To Ford, the diesel Territory is the financial equivalent of Holden's V8 sales but way more drought resistant...

cant help but think diesel ute would make an able stablemate in the showrooms....

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Ford would not be down balancing and preparing a 2014 Falcon if they were at a said "tipping point" the idea is ludicrous..

The tipping point I think the unnamed source was referring to was making a decision on whether or not to invest in a next generation Falcon. The 2014 MCE I don't think comes into it as the decision has been made and the money spent - unless the context of that article/discussion which referred to sales performance and brand perception included the 2014 vehicle as well (they may bring it forward to see if it can stop the rot, who knows).

[Joe5619]

who is Sinead Phipps??

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by mr smith

The real person or the one pretending to be on this forum?

Do you think that Russell and the moderators on this site would allow someone to impersonate a Ford PR representative?

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

The tipping point I think the unnamed source was referring to was making a decision on whether or not to invest in a next generation Falcon. The 2014 MCE I don't think comes into it as the decision has been made and the money spent - unless the context of that article/discussion which referred to sales performance and brand perception included the 2014 vehicle as well (they may bring it forward to see if it can stop the rot, who knows).

I think its smoke and mirrors based on low Falcon sales....

[Nikked]

Always sceptics....