Ford’s Global Manufacturing Experts Visit Changan Ford

At the Chongqing plant, Kieran Cahill and his team experienced several new models recently launched in China, including the latest Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln Corsair, and the Ford Mondeo Sport Edition. During this visit, Jerry Lin and Zhang Junyan shared the highlights of Ford and Changan Ford's business operations in China, with an emphasis on the implementation of GPFS and GQIP standards, continuous improvement measures, and the plant’s committed pursuit of achieving quality excellence.  Xu Binghua, Director of the Chongqing manufacturing plant, also gave a detailed introduction to the plant's operational model, personnel status, and performance metrics.

During the subsequent Gemba Walk, the Chongqing team presented various improvements recently implemented in the assembly and welding workshops, focusing on areas like digital applications, intelligent vision, complexity reduction, team management, Kaizen, and quality control and enhancement. They highlighted the E-Tip Level system developed on the WeChat Work platform, which effectively eliminates the slow transmission of paper-based information and cross-level delays by enabling rapid notification and interception of issues, significantly reducing C/1000. This innovation has been widely recognized by global peers. 

Following a detailed review of the FAI AI visual inspection equipment, the delegation was very interested in its ability to achieve a 100% effective inspection rate for vehicle exteriors. The guests were also genuinely impressed by the rapid development of the AI industry in China. The innovative efforts of the assembly workshop to reduce parts complexity received unanimous praise, and some members of the delegation expressed hope in applying some of these measures in other regions. At the fuel tank installation station, the lean improvement team also received strong recognition, with the delegation remarking, "Smart people create smart devices." Such electronic applications in production enable faster, more accurate, and more efficient quality management improvements, which has been a manifestation of Ford China truly putting Chinese customers first.

Furthermore, Adrian Price noted that the Chongqing team has effectively managed the pressures of a rapidly changing market and production adjustments, quickly adapting and continuously optimizing their production processes. By respecting the right procedures and making the right moves, they consistently improved production efficiency, and their countermeasures proved to be very effective as well. Kieran Cahill also gave high praise to Changan Ford's vehicle manufacturing plant for its commitment to advancing the GPFS and GQIP global standards while simultaneously localizing optimizations to accommodate the current Chinese market's demands for multiple models and small-batch production. This approach has both ensured product quality and delivered outstanding results.

At the Hangzhou plant, Luo Song and Plant Director Chu Li warmly welcomed the visiting delegation. They introduced the group to the Hangzhou facility's product lineup, manufacturing layout, business performance, safety management, quality control standards and philosophy of operations, as well as its continuously improving market quality performance.

The Hangzhou team shared an overview of the enhancements they have made in digital transformation. For example, their digital operations dashboard project integrates complex and dispersed data sources from across business operations. By cleaning and modeling the data, the team created integrated visualization pages tailored for different management purposes, enabling anomalies and risks to be identified promptly. This has significantly enhanced the value of data usage and management efficiency. After the implementation of the first and second phases of this dashboard project, they will be able to achieve seamless information flow from the factory to various organizational levels. This project was awarded the Gemba Medal during the delegation’s visit, with Kieran and his team expressing a desire to promote these successful digital transformations globally with the aim to establish global standards and create a smarter, more efficient organization for Ford worldwide.

The Hangzhou plant’s smart logistics project, which includes visual receiving and intelligent picking, is Ford’s first successful case of such innovations globally. It also marks the first step towards achieving fully automated logistics (a "dark factory"). Meanwhile, the team also shared a closer look at its latest technology for single-film coating for black car roofs, which can significantly reduce the manufacturing costs of two-tone cars and improve production efficiency. We’re excited to see Hangzhou successfully implement this new technology in actual production as a pilot project.

Finally, the delegation gave high praise for the Hangzhou plant’s achievements in the implementation of GFPS, technological innovation, and on-site management. They also encouraged the Hangzhou team to realize further advancements in areas such as human-machine interaction (HMI), enhanced efficiency, and safety management. The pursuit of such developments is aimed at delivering more and better products to customers worldwide and bringing greater value to Ford globally.

This recent visit from Ford Europe and North America’s manufacturing and logistics experts not only provided Changan Ford with a valuable platform for international exchange, but has also deepened understanding and recognition among Ford's global leadership regarding the quality of Chinese manufacturing. The delegation expressed its appreciation for Changan Ford's intensive efforts in adapting to local conditions, resulting in technological innovation, quality control excellence, and the execution and continuous improvement of GFPS & GQIP standardized processes. Both groups have been deeply inspired by this visit, as an opportunity to further deepen their friendship, expand areas of cooperation and exchange, infuse new vitality into Changan Ford's potential for growth and sustainable development, and to work closely together in promoting the accelerated growth of the automotive manufacturing industry.