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October 18, 2006

This Week:

• Ford's New Edge and Lincoln MKX launched at Oakville in the Newly Created Innovative Manufacturing Environment

• Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) South Plant Celebrates Job One

• Volkswagen Slovakia's President to become CEO and President of Volkswagen do Brazil

• Ford to Explore Strategic Options for Automobile Protection Corporation

• Toyota's First North American Hybrid Production Begins in Kentucky

• ThyssenKrupp Budd Sells North American Automotive Body and Chassis Operations to Martinrea International

• HUMMER Kicks-Off H3 Assembly in South Africa

• NISSAN TO GROW BUSINESS IN INDONESIA - New Livina passenger car to be introduced in first half 2007 -

• GM Portugal and Employee Representatives Agree on Transition Package for Azambuja Workforce

• Tom Chambers Named President and COO of Metaldyne Corporation

 

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Ford of Canada president and CEO Bill Osborne said, "Oakville Assembly is a jewel in Ford's assembly operations and its new products will bring a new generation of Ford customers to showrooms in Canada and around the world."

Ford's Oakville Assembly - Photo: Ford

Ford Edge will be sold primarily in North America, but 40 additional nations including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Panama will also market the made-in-Canada CUV.

The 2007 Ford Edge will distinguish itself in the red-hot CUV market, with bold and modern design, dynamic driving character, innovative features and a wide range of standard convenience and safety features.

The Lincoln MKX is the first Lincoln of significant volume ever built on Canadian soil and it is loaded with comfort and convenience as a modern new choice in the luxury CUV market. Lincoln MKX’s elegant design is combined with a sporty stance, powerful engine and quiet interior. It also boasts such technological advances as adaptive headlamps that move with the steering wheel, a panoramic glass roof, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, 14-speaker THX II audio system and DVD-based navigation.

In the view of OAC plant manager Frank Gourneau, "We used every tool available to identify customer concerns before they become customer concerns."

Among the tools, a real-world evaluation of a fleet of Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX pre-production units was implemented in three key U.S. markets. The evaluation by customers of competitive crossovers provided key quality feedback.

At OAC, a robust readiness practice was implemented with an eye on building-in assembly quality. The Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX launch teams evaluated and improved thousands of work stations for ergonomics including how parts are presented to the operator, time required for the operator to complete his/her job and overall ease and efficiency for the operator. Industry studies show ergonomics on the job have a direct impact on quality.

Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX go on sale in November and join the Ford Freestar as models currently built in Oakville. The 5.4 million ft 2 (486,000 m 2) complex has undergone a massive, $1 billion conversion to flexible manufacturing, including a state-of-the-art body assembly facility. As a flexible plant, OAC can build multiple models on unique architectures enabling the plant to change the mix, volume and options of products more quickly in response to consumer demand – representing a new level of market agility.

(October 15, 2006)