Top Management Disconnected From Consumers

[DUSTYcazOREGON]

This made me chuckle… so you’re telling us that the fiasco that is Webasto is just your garden variety, Covid indiced, supply chain hicup? Ford did absolutely nothing wrong? Not in supplier selection / validation? Not in demand forecasting?? And this happened to everyone?? Riddle me this… how did the TRX and 392 launches go? What about the G90/G92?

Tell your b-school buddy Esteban we ain’t buying it. I’m glad he’s aching for us. He should be. He and his team let us all down big time. They won’t likely feel the impact to Bronco sales, after all, why would I give up my order at this point? That would just be rewarding Ford and my local dealer. Nope, I’ll wait as long as the glass house sees fit, then flip it. But I’ll tell ya where this will hurt… this mess has soured me on Ford big time (loyal customer for 30+ years). I just sold my 2019 Super Duty (I generally upgrade very 2-3 years), but will be buying my next HD truck from someone else.

How anybody can defend Ford is beyond me at this point. Oh, and just for fun, here’s a pic I took of a production MIC top at my local dealer last week. Just wow…

Spot on! The communication from FORD has been very poor. I have been a FORD owner for 40 years. We own 2 now, the Bronco will be 3. But....this will be the last time I ever "reserve" a new model or place an order. If it's not on the lot....I am not buying it.

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[SpringTXOR]

Spot on! The communication from FORD has been very poor. I have been a FORD owner for 40 years. We own 2 now, the Bronco will be 3. But....this will be the last time I ever "reserve" a new model or place an order. If it's not on the lot....I am not buying it.

What is the point in reserving it a year in advance if it is just going to sit in a lot at the plant for 2+ months, or you build build date get pushed back for 4+ months. If ever buy a Ford again it will just be something off the lot like I've done ever other time.

 

[sgraing1]

Farming out more and more content over the last 40 years he's left Ford more at the mercy of suppliers.Sometimes that doesn't work out so good.

 

[Heffe66413]

For the second half of 2021, Ford expects to earn about $3 to $4 billion. That means for the full year, Ford now expects about $9 to $10 billion in operating profits. This beats the $2.8 billion earned in 2020.

The Bronco rollout is characterized as a marketing fiasco by Ford loyalists and Bronco enthusiasts (rightly so). However, top management, who is beholden to the stockholders and not the customers, only sees the bottom line, i.e. great press and great profits.

Top management of multinational corporations are disconnected from consumers. Look no further than the woke stances and commercials by big corporations. It is a mistake to think that Ford is overly concerned with customer frustration with the Bronco. The 2021 customers pushed to 2022 or 2023 will just help FY profits/sales for those subsequent years. Ford will do what is best and cost effective for Ford, not the consumer.

What you say is true- but you have have two choices. You can cancel your bronco order or any other order on a Ford product or just realize that it is business and wait for your bronco. I hate to express the bad news but any corporations first obligation is to its owners- the shareholders.

 

[MDbeachguy]

this will get worse and worse as time goes on. The feedback to consumers has been cut.

Capitalism isnt bad per-se but quarterly profit driven corporate capitalism really is unsustainable. The idea that companies are just going to grow indefinitely is stupid. and its propped up by the fake government allowing massive corporate aquisitions of failing companies either to be raided or to be incorporated. It will all come tumbling down one day


As for the bronco it makes no sense they are accepting any orders right now when they have failed to ship cars to consumers a year out. I know they cant take chips from other cars , but they should.

 

[Carolina Jim]

I understand that communication between 100,000+ customers that are knowingly a year or more out is extremely difficult.

Agreed - but there's no excuse for not keeping your 3,000 dealers informed....especially since 1,000 of them probably account for 90% of your volume.

Let's face it; Ford is just a mediocre company struggling to get through the day. While Jim Farley struggles to deal with the thousands of Broncos he parked in a sand pit, I read today Musk is developing a plan to sell advertising on billboards he wants to park in outer space.

Good luck to Farley & Co trying to keep up with Tesla as the vehicle industry reinvents itself.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

This take is making a mountain of a molehill. Ford didn’t screw up the bronco launch by any real definition of the word. The only dark spot is an unprecedented disruption to supply chain that is hitting everyone.

I know a ton of senior Ford execs (I work for another OEM but worked on Ford strategy at my old consultancy), and my business school classmate Esteban is the Bronco program manager. They are absolutely not out of touch and agonize over trying to do the right thing by their customers.

By doing and saying nothing to their customers?

 

[Monster1926]

This made me chuckle… so you’re telling us that the fiasco that is Webasto is just your garden variety, Covid indiced, supply chain hicup? Ford did absolutely nothing wrong? Not in supplier selection / validation? Not in demand forecasting?? And this happened to everyone?? Riddle me this… how did the TRX and 392 launches go? What about the G90/G92?

Tell your b-school buddy Esteban we ain’t buying it. I’m glad he’s aching for us. He should be. He and his team let us all down big time. They won’t likely feel the impact to Bronco sales, after all, why would I give up my order at this point? That would just be rewarding Ford and my local dealer. Nope, I’ll wait as long as the glass house sees fit, then flip it. But I’ll tell ya where this will hurt… this mess has soured me on Ford big time (loyal customer for 30+ years). I just sold my 2019 Super Duty (I generally upgrade very 2-3 years), but will be buying my next HD truck from someone else.

How anybody can defend Ford is beyond me at this point. Oh, and just for fun, here’s a pic I took of a production MIC top at my local dealer last week. Just wow…

I don’t think it’s fair to compare the bronco launch to the 392/Trx. Those launches were just adding components to vehicles that they’ve already been building. The bronco is a brand new model. It’s obvious who ever was in charge in finding webasto and the interior choices should be sent to work at yugo. I can’t believe im sticking up for Ford but I’m telling the truth.

P.S Ram makes a nice HD truck off $3 a hour labor in Mexico.

 

[Schnabby]

Management of publicly traded corporations only think 1 or 2 quarters ahead instead of long term. Wait until next years results.....do you think all those Bronco's sitting at MAP as inventory instead of sales / cash flow will be an achilles heel on those results...or has the market already factored that into their share price? FWIW I own a lot of different stock.....Ford isn't one of them. But then I don't own any auto manufacturers stock. I do own Autozone and Autonation........so the used market is where the growth is.

 

[Wanted33]

This take is making a mountain of a molehill. Ford didn’t screw up the bronco launch by any real definition of the word. The only dark spot is an unprecedented disruption to supply chain that is hitting everyone.

I know a ton of senior Ford execs (I work for another OEM but worked on Ford strategy at my old consultancy), and my business school classmate Esteban is the Bronco program manager. They are absolutely not out of touch and agonize over trying to do the right thing by their customers.

Now, now, don't you dare come here with facts. We just can't handle facts as the need to cry, and gnash teeth is just to great. We want our Bronco yesterday, and Ford just can't get their act together to do that.

I do understand that this Bronco launch is driving customers crazy. However, I do agree with you. In my second life I was a peon at a Fortune 500 company that sat in on some of the upper echelon meetings (I had to stay quiet though, peons don't talk). The company directors, if they are smart, understand the customer is who pays their salaries. Without the customer they have no job, or company for that matter. Communicating with the customer is very touchy these days with so many arm chair quarterbacks sitting behind their computers just waiting to put their spin on the latest news. And then you have a fiasco on your hands. With that said it would probably be a good idea for Ford to just say, "Look, we're doing all we can do right now. But, the supply chain is a disaster, and suppliers are in the same boat as we are." One more thing. I would hate to be the guys at the top right now. I can't imagine the pressure they are under from the Board of Directors to get this Bronco show on the road. I wouldn't have their job.

 

[Carolina Jim]

And then you have a fiasco on your hands.

....as opposed to?????

 

[ironzachattack]

Agreed - but there's no excuse for not keeping your 3,000 dealers informed....especially since 1,000 of them probably account for 90% of your volume.

Let's face it; Ford is just a mediocre company struggling to get through the day. While Jim Farley struggles to deal with the thousands of Broncos he parked in a sand pit, I read today Musk is developing a plan to sell advertising on billboards he wants to park in outer space.

Good luck to Farley & Co trying to keep up with Tesla as the vehicle industry reinvents itself.

News flash tesla has nothing to do with space…. Thats spacex

 

[Wanted33]

....as opposed to?????

Jim, with to many interpretations of one ill advised communication what good would that do any of us? We already see what one post with the wrong information can do here on the forum. After ordering a couple GM plastic cars I guess I'm more used to supplier constraints than some here. This Bronco launch has just amplified constraints with so many supply chain disruptions.

 

[ilbastarge]

<purged>

 

[Carolina Jim]

with to many interpretations of one ill advised communication what good would that do any of us?

"Communication" is a core function in business. Sticking your head under the pillow and pretending you don't hear questions is more typical for a 5-year-old.

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