On 5 December, Jason represented the Louisville Assembly Plant at the annual Ford Motor Company President's Award Celebration in Dearborn, MI. The Ford Explorer won the awards for most improved warranty repairs and most improved warranty costs among all Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles. The Explorer, Mountaineer, and Sport Trac were also recognized as Consumer Reports "Recommended Buys". As a lot of folks already know, Jason is the Electrical Leader for the Explorer, Mountaineer, and Sport Trac; his team's efforts have resulted in a 40+% improvement in quality in the last year. In June, his team was recognized by Joe Hinrichs (VP of North American manufacturing) as the top-performer among the 168 quality improvement teams in the company.
The Ford nameplate has made nice progress in quality - moving from 10th in 2006 to tied with Toyota for 2nd in 2007. The keynote speaker at the celebration was noted automotive journalist John McElroy. He made it clear that the difficulty Ford faced was changing customers' perspectives regarding Ford's quality; we must do a better job getting the word out. This is especially true on the east and west coasts where only 14% of buyers even consider domestic manufacturers when deciding which automobile to buy. The "quality gap" between domestic and Asian manufacturers is a myth that must be dispelled.
It's been a very difficult year with the layoffs, buyouts, line speed reduction, etc. It is nice to receive recognition after so much hard work and effort.
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