Government insider reckons Ford's local ops are gone in 2016

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

If it's only bonnet and bootlid then its probably just the one guy who's left doing it. But then again you'd think they would be the easy parts to stamp, being done from a flat sheet of steel. Nowhere near as complex as a cowl or whatever.

Bonnet, decklid and fenders are being changed for the Falcon update. So three of the four most complicated stampings. Cowel is easy to stamp.

All tooling is designed in Geelong, still around a dozen blokes in there, and will be manufactured in India, Japan or Thailand. As far as sheetmetal goes, it will be a substantial upgrade, similar to the SY to SZ upgrade.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Bud Bud

The fact that Ford is refusing to respond to questions on the subject says a lot too!

Like everyone else here, I hope I am wrong but it seems to me that if they were planning Falcon or even manufacturing's survival in this country, then why would they let sales continue to slip into a coma in silence before announcing a grand plan for the future? Wouldn't this just make it even harder to resurrect sales if there happened to be an all new Falcon for 2017 in the pipe line? It seems to me that if Ford let the media do their dirty work for them and steer this ship, then it will be all so much easier for Ford to fulfil the medias prophecy in 2016 anyway, after all they have a reason to lay blame for the demise of Ford's manufacturing prowess at the foot of the media now don't they. And there is no point even pointing out fact from opinion or from rumour etc from what ever is being reported about Fords future in this country these days either because the ball is and has well and truly been in Fords court for a long time now.

Come on Ford, if you are not going anywhere, announce something, you don't need to give away all the details, just tell us that big things are happening and it is all positive for the Falcon, but hey if you are shutting down ops in this country by 2016, then it maybe better to remain silent. Your serve.

Bud Bud

I will agree with you in that Ford's "strategy of silence" is killing them. Surely it can't be too hard to let a little sliver slip to indicate what will be going on in 5 years.

But Ford Australia is not called the Falcon Motor Company, people need to see past one car and consider the prospect that they can make a lot more than Falcons.

[mik]

All true, but a lot can happen in a couple of years being either good or bad, the election happening in 6 months time, who knows the locals might get a second wind

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

I will agree with you in that Ford's "strategy of silence" is killing them. Surely it can't be too hard to let a little sliver slip to indicate what will be going on in 5 years.

Well there is this sliver.

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor...219-2eo9j.html

But the Falcon is still an important vehicle for Ford. And after Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux confirmed last week that the Commodore nameplate would live on after the current model is replaced by a global platform, Graziano also didn’t rule out the possibility Ford could continue with the Falcon badge beyond 2017 when it is expected the locally-produced large sedan will be replaced by a global car.

Mind you not sure how out of context it was taken as it was not a direct quote.

[greenfoam]

My local dealer seems convinced the Taurus will be named Falcon here.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by greenfoam

I was perhaps a mistake not doing the Focus but on the other hand I'm not sure a Focus buyer would like to buy a locally built one over quality concerns compared to an imported Focus.

I've got one of the South African built Focus, and its got rattles, the seat creaks, the drivers side B pillar trim is half hanging off, the steering wheel column trim was half hanging off when I got it.

The first SA Focus I got had 4 out of round tyres on it from factory and the hand brake cover wasn't on properly.

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by greenfoam

My local dealer seems convinced the Taurus will be named Falcon here.

The ironic thing with this train of thought is Taurus' future is no more confirmed by Ford than Falcons is.

[tranquilized]

People get so caught up with the whole Taurus replacing Falcon thing...

Current Taurus will be history before or around the same time the current Falcon is.

Both will be replaced with a global model tweaked to suit local markets.

So you could say the Taurus is being replaced by the Falcon...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

People get so caught up with the whole Taurus replacing Falcon thing...

Current Taurus will be history before or around the same time the current Falcon is.

Both will be replaced with a global model tweaked to suit local markets.

So you could say the Taurus is being replaced by the Falcon...

Or if you wanted to be really accurate:
1) D3 Taurus is being replaced by a big Mondeo
2) Falcon really isn't going anywhere...

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I've got one of the South African built Focus, and its got rattles, the seat creaks, the drivers side B pillar trim is half hanging off, the steering wheel column trim was half hanging off when I got it.

The first SA Focus I got had 4 out of round tyres on it from factory and the hand brake cover wasn't on properly.

I have a German one and its the exact opposite.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

Bonnet, decklid and fenders are being changed for the Falcon update. So three of the four most complicated stampings. Cowel is easy to stamp.

All tooling is designed in Geelong, still around a dozen blokes in there, and will be manufactured in India, Japan or Thailand. As far as sheetmetal goes, it will be a substantial upgrade, similar to the SY to SZ upgrade.

Thanks for clarifying that. I was thinking you might chip in here. I would have thought the bonnet and bootlid would be one of the easier things to stamp.

I was going off what my dad had told me about the area he used to work in, there is next to no one left.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by greenfoam

My local dealer seems convinced the Taurus will be named Falcon here.

Your local dealer is wrong.

[Auslandau]

Members here will know what the Falcon will be like way before someone in a dealership. They are the last to know ......

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Members here will know what the Falcon will be like way before someone in a dealership. They are the last to know ......

..Unless of course the dealer staff is also a member here, lol.

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Thanks for clarifying that. I was thinking you might chip in here. I would have thought the bonnet and bootlid would be one of the easier things to stamp.

I was going off what my dad had told me about the area he used to work in, there is next to no one left.

Tool design are in plant 4, not many engineers left as computers do a lot of the workload these days anyway.

The problem with skin panels like the bonnet, etc, is that it takes months of try out to get decent panels with no blemishes. And even once they are signed off to production, it's still a long time before they run at the press speed without constant stoppages for cleaning. Territory rear qtrs still give headaches. But the best part of the downbalance is that we are able to ensure everything that goes up the road is 100% perfect.

Meanwhile, I am dying to catch a glimpse of the update.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

The problem with skin panels like the bonnet, etc, is that it takes months of try out to get decent panels with no blemishes. And even once they are signed off to production, it's still a long time before they run at the press speed without constant stoppages for cleaning.

Meanwhile, I am dying to catch a glimpse of the update.

So, what you are saying is that the 2014 update's design is locked in?

I wonder if there will be some camoed cars getting around soon...

[Gobes32]

Originally Posted by Nikked

So, what you are saying is that the 2014 update's design is locked in?

it certainly would be.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I have a German one and its the exact opposite.

One Ford ain't all its cracked up to be, compare a WS Fiesta to a WT Fiesta.

I thought the cars were supposed to be the same regardless of where its built?

WT Fiesta from Thailand took a big downturn in quality over the German built WS.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

One Ford ain't all its cracked up to be, compare a WS Fiesta to a WT Fiesta.

I thought the cars were supposed to be the same regardless of where its built?

WT Fiesta from Thailand took a big downturn in quality over the German built WS.

And I think you have actually misunderstood 'one ford'!!

[DRU842]

My two cents here; firstly this is based on here-say from an unemployed political insider, who's resume includes some of the least successful / least loved Governments in history, none of whom are renowned for their ability to plan forward.
The One Ford plan is well publicised, providing results to Ford Motor Company globally and open to interpretation only in regards to its timing of implementation in various geographies & segments.
There is a political game to be played by all manufacturers with local regards local conditions on subsidies, tariff, grants and exchange rates These games are never decided in the court of public opinion.
Ford Australia's marketing has always been more guarded than it's local competition; for better or worse. This goes back to the 1970's super-car scare, Toyota's apparent win with the tax office that local advertising counts toward local vehicle content calculations, Holden being able to claim it's Australian with no reference to local content.
I for one am happy the Ford don't respond to this crap either here or globally and just get on with the job of building vehicles and share price for investors (me!)

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

And I think you have actually misunderstood 'one ford'!!

The same cars for the world, but why is the Fiesta different if its made in Thailand or Germany?

[FPV GTHO]

Different suppliers. Different factories meaning different build rates, attention to detail and quality control.

[Burnout]

Originally Posted by DRU842

My two cents here; firstly this is based on here-say from an unemployed political insider, who's resume includes some of the least successful / least loved Governments in history, none of whom are renowned for their ability to plan forward.

Most likely the same bloke who told Conway he could filter the world wide web........

[BroadyFord]

Dowling at it again, although this time, sadly, many of his arguments are valid and make sense:

http://bit.ly/YUjceD

[Gadgetman]

By the sounds of both articles, I guess we will all have to wait till after the elections for the story to hit cause it sure as hell won't before.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Dowling at it again, although this time, sadly, many of his arguments are valid and make sense:

http://bit.ly/YUjceD

How are they 'valid' and how do they make sense? He's simply rehashing crap from before, which is light on facts and heavy on opinion. On Twitter this week, he made no secret of the fact he was going to target Ford execs at the NY motorshow and gave the impression he already had his mind made up. And the Indonesia reference is totally wrong - Reuters reported this week Ford arent interested in it.

[BroadyFord]

Originally Posted by Gadgetman

By the sounds of both articles, I guess we will all have to wait till after the elections for the story to hit cause it sure as hell won't before.

He's right about the lead times though. 3 years is okay for an update but not for an all-new vehicle.

^^ Make no mistake, I'm no fan of Dowling but this continued and prolonged silence from Ford is giving strength to his theories by the day.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

He's right about the lead times though. 3 years is okay for an update but not for an all-new vehicle.

^^ Make no mistake, I'm no fan of Dowling but this continued and prolonged silence from Ford is giving strength to his theories by the day.

Yes, the strategy of silence is harming them. No, he's wrong about the development lead times because virtual build processes and multiple design and engineering centres work shifts on projects, as has been pointed out many times.

Oh, and here's the Reuters article proving he is making crap up:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...pe=companyNews

NO INDONESIA PLANS

Matt Bradley, president of Ford ASEAN, reiterated that Thailand would remain its manufacturing hub for the Southeast Asian region.

Indonesia's car-manufacturing sector is growing and it is expected to be the largest car market in ASEAN within five years. General Motors (GM.N) is restarting its factory there and expanding its dealership network.

Wages in Thailand are rising, a government subsidy for first-time car buyers has ended and the strength of the baht is cutting into exporters' margins, but Ford will be staying the course.

"We have set up today our production and export hub in Thailand, we invested in and built a brand new plant last year, so our capacity today in Thailand is about 450,000 and that serves all of the ASEAN markets," said Bradley.

"Clearly we're going to continue to look at and study Indonesia. We do recognize the competition putting manufacturing footprints in there," he said. But he added: "There are no concrete plans as of yet."

[Gadgetman]

What is sad about articles like what's written is how it effects the families of Ford employees. Stuff like what's written by the likes of the Dowling's of the world can cause unnecessary grief to families and maybe worse things that could happen domestically. I would love for someone to publish an article that puts Josh's future in doubt and see if he loses a nights sleep. Bloody Morons. We are probably just as guilty on this forum for justifying this crap!

[FalconXV]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

How are they 'valid' and how do they make sense? He's simply rehashing crap from before, which is light on facts and heavy on opinion. On Twitter this week, he made no secret of the fact he was going to target Ford execs at the NY motorshow and gave the impression he already had his mind made up. And the Indonesia reference is totally wrong - Reuters reported this week Ford arent interested in it.

This was my reply to Downling's article today :

Can you give it a rest? Obviously its not becoming a self fulfilling prophecy so you're trying to stoke the fires again. Pathetic and desperate, If this comment doesn't get past filtering again, I will be in no doubt. No wonder we are only ranked 26th for World Press Freedom. PS Love the Holden ad at the bottom of the page.

We need to get in touch with a credible journalist, collate all these negative articles and other facts that contradict it, and get said journalist to run an article systematically debunking and dissecting Dowling's agenda. He only keeps writing the articles because if he creates enough negative press to tip it over the edge, that's his big break and career highlight.