Ford is reacting after December 2007 bad results from surveys of supplier-automaker relationships. Score was low mainly in categories like Openness to new ideas, Ease of working with automaker on innovative ideas, Level of trust and Ability to carry innovations.
To repair fractured relationships, key Ford leaders will go on a listening tour of suppliers beginning early this year.
Ford wants suppliers to tell them whether or not Ford is doing well, how suppliers think Ford can do better, and where do they see the needed improvements and where Ford should focus its attention. Ford wants to improve collaboration with suppliers which represent 60 percent of the cost of Ford’s vehicles and which can help Ford to achieve quality, productivity and cost-reduction goals
To repair fractured relationships, key Ford leaders will go on a listening tour of suppliers beginning early this year.
Ford wants suppliers to tell them whether or not Ford is doing well, how suppliers think Ford can do better, and where do they see the needed improvements and where Ford should focus its attention. Ford wants to improve collaboration with suppliers which represent 60 percent of the cost of Ford’s vehicles and which can help Ford to achieve quality, productivity and cost-reduction goals
Besides listening, Ford leaders want to better explain suppliers what the automaker is doing to help the bottom line for vendors.
Example is rapid deployment of new technology across all Ford vehicle lines
A second example is the strategy to build global vehicles with regional variations . That will require large-volume contracts