Yep, it’s a huge issue. I was on the Flex/MKT vehicle development team. Still SMH at that one. Lot of suppliers took hits on those volume misses. As the EV and new hybrids were being developed, a LOT of suppliers missed the change in maximum allowable contamination. Not sure who to blame, Ford not highlighting suppliers needed SEM to look for contamination, or suppliers not reading the new standards. With the increased motor RPM’s even the smallest of particles can destroy a bearing in a very short period of time.
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Remember when Ford tried to expand with their Luxury Group? They bought Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin to join the Group. Spent tons of cash in development and promotion then promptly broke up the Group by selling off all except Lincoln. Companies continue to buy other companies to expand during good times and then divest those acquisitions during the bad times. Terrible waste of human talent and cash resources. It usually ends in a loss.
I once heard that company boards have three choices in selecting a CEO. There is the CEO that can run the company really well as is, the CEO that can grow the company through new product development or acquisition and finally the CEO that is referred to as “The Hachet Man”!
Friend and chief engineer level stated these companies were bought so execs could get the brands as their company cars. i don’t disagree with his statement.
Very early in my career, my dad who worked for Chrysler and so desperately tried to talk me out of an automotive career pointed out that a company does well, expands too far, starts losing money, brings in an aggressive cost cutter CEO, who cuts too far, causing future growth issues. Board then fires the cost cutter CEO, and brings in an engineer CEO, who focuses on product. Things start doing well, then then bring in a business manager, who starts cutting back on product development, things start going bad, so they bring in a cost cutter. Wash/rinse/repeat. Dad nailed it. Farley is just a flame F* clueless idiot.
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Bravo! Well explained. Now I know how my brother got his Land Rover company car way back when. He used to tease me that he could call a number from his office anytime and someone would fetch the car and get it washed for him. Such a life!