Webasto May Open Second Facility to Help Meet Bronco Hard Top Demand

[KosmicKid]

meanwhile us mythical 2-door folks are SOL for options.....

This
I would have gladly switched to the Best Top soft top as shown in a few events is I was given a choice. But nooooo can only get from aftermarket...
So waiting patiently to see if my Aug 23rd build date really happens especially with the latest shutdowns and whatnot: Still believe I will get pushed into 22MY.. Yeah not optimistic

Sponsored

 

[fschael]

This smells like Ford chose the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Contract (Webassto) with no back up plan. It obviously blew up in their face.

The scary part is Webassto is still on the hook to make the painted hard tops.

I don't know why Ford is not looking the engineers, purchasing managers and Production director here on Bronco 6G to produce this Bronco and fulfill our orders in less than a month.

Non of those spoiled brats that only complaint and whining about why Ford didn't do that or this or even suggesting to give the Bronco production to another company, Have ANY IDEA of the automotive complexity industry or even to run a business on that industry.

Ask to Elon Musk why is more expedite to build and lunch Rocket to the space than launching a new vehicle to the market. Now add to that complexity all the struggle in the last year that not even a simple gallon of primer from Sherwin-williams you can find since April.

The only reason that this launch has been longer than usuals is because they make it public in 2017 that that program was under development thanks to the critics of the former US president to the American Brands that they were taking the less important vehicle production overseas.

At this moment there should more than a dozen of programs that y'all don't even imagine that they exist and we will heard about it in five years or more.

I bleed blue, Ford has been in my mind since I was a little kid and I had the enormous opportunity to work at Ford and I know a hint of those complexity.

I can assure y'all that Ford is doing everything in their power to fulfill our orders ASAP without compromising the quality and the safety of everybody, from general labor to customers.

So, BE PATIENT and enjoy the fact that y'all are living this times and soon or later going to have a wonderful vehicle in your garages.

 

[BradtheWelder]

If you 4 door guys want to really want to stick it to Webasto, you would change your order to a soft top. That would really show them. Do it first thing tomorrow morning.

ME AS A 2 DOOR ORDER:

Making my order just that much closer to get built

 

[Broncogoat]

Not sure if this was already posted here or not.

https://fordauthority.com/2021/07/2...pplier-is-struggling-mightily-to-meet-demand/

2021 Ford Bronco Hardtop Supplier Is Struggling Mightily To Meet Demand

While 2021 Ford Bronco production has been less affected by the semiconductor chip shortage than most other models, it has been seriously hampered by another supply chain problem – hardtops. The Ford Bronco hardtop supplier – Webasto – has struggled mightily to produce the number of tops that Ford needs to fulfill customer orders, despite the fact that the automaker has invested millions to help fix the problem. Now, we’re learning more about the problems facing the Bronco hardtop supplier via a new report from the Detroit Free Press.

Webasto, a German company, built a brand new plant in Plymouth, Michigan back in 2019, a site that was specifically designed to support Bronco hardtop production. And it appears that another facility could be in the works to help catch up with demand as well. “We are working with Webasto to increase roof production, which could include a second facility in metro Detroit,” Ford spokesperson Said Deep told the Free Press.

Unfortunately, even that expansion won’t lead to meaningful hardtop production until 2022. In the meantime, Ford has trimmed down its available hardtop options available to customers to just one – the Carbonized Gray molded-in color (MIC) top, while delaying other options, including a painted hardtop, to the 2023 model year. The automaker hopes that this will help to right the proverbial ship more quickly than if it offered numerous choices.

Ford originally planned for an 80 percent take rate on hardtop-equipped Broncos, but hardtops are currently only making up around 60 percent of total production as Webasto simply can’t produce enough tops to satisfy customer demand. Ford recently informed order holders that switching to a soft top would make them eligible for September production, and it will include a hardtop prep kit with every soft top Bronco produced beginning that same month.

The reasons for Webasto’s struggles are somewhat complicated and multiple in nature. Part of the problem lies in the fact that much of the company’s tooling and testing equipment resides in Northern Italy and Wuhan, China, both places that were hit incredibly hard by COVID-19. On top of that, Webasto is struggling to find enough workers to make hardtops, which Ford is helping with as well, reportedly sending “many” hourly and salaried employees of its own to the top maker’s Michigan plant.

Meanwhile, Ford is admittedly frustrated by the problem, as are Bronco customers, but the automaker is working with Webasto to rectify the issue. “We’re working as fast as we can,” Deep said. “We want to make everybody happy.”

Webasto needs to open plant in north Dakota a large facility that makes the large rotor blades for wind turbines is closing and 400 hard working people that want jobs are ready. Can't always count on city folk too much government assistance. Not many place for these folks to work out there.

 

[ModifyMike]

What is it about Wuhan China that is just messing up everything! Honestly shocked they actually put Wuhan and not just China with everything Covid related. As long as I don’t get Covid from my MIC…. Wait is it Molded in Color or Molded in Covid

 

[Bronc-O]

I get that there is an Accessory option for a 2-door soft top, but that's not exactly the same thing. Doubt the factory production line is setup to install or QC that, and likely don't even have them at the factory. Probably a LOT of adjustments and logistics to set up to make that an option.
Probably doable, but I doubt Ford wants to throw another wrench in to process at this point.

Isn't that what the mod center they talked about for?

 

[RedHotFuzz]

60% are hardtops? That is higher than I would have guessed.

Um, have you seen the soft tops?

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

This whole fiasco is really due to Ford taking orders too soon. Everything wrong with this launch is simply, they were behind the original schedule and then covid hit and wham, they were even father behind and the natives were getting reckless. So, they followed Tesla's lead regarding their truck, that is no where near ready for production...

And Ford asks themselves, we're close enough aren't we? I mean to do the same as Tesla (and it worked on other cars) And here we are.

If they had waited until production issues were worked out and a yard of ready to sell retail units were made, we would be at the very beginning of this process and more forgiving on any "small" delays.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

Dang this place is so informative! Who knew the soft top that comes on Jeep’s from the factory was an aftermarket addition!

 

[T2Canuck]

Has anyone noticed that there are 2dr soft tops at the Rodeo locations?

Yes, there were several. That said, they all looked aftermarket with the slanted rear.

 

[ZackDanger]

Webasto needs to open plant in north Dakota a large facility that makes the large rotor blades for wind turbines is closing and 400 hard working people that want jobs are ready. Can't always count on city folk too much government assistance. Not many place for these folks to work out there.

Yeah. All those darn city folk keeping us from our MIC tops…

 

[ZackDanger]

Yes, there were several. That said, they all looked aftermarket with the slanted rear.

They are from Bestop and sold as an accessory only… not a Ford OEM factory option.

Who knows why they limited it to accessory only, but I’m sure it’s a normal reason… like Ford and Bestop couldn’t come to an agreement on price, or production capacity…

 

[Bronco21fan]

A couple observations/thoughts I take from this article:

1. Ford projected that 80% of buyers would get hard tops. When problems with Webasto came up, Ford strongly suggested order holders to switch to soft tops. Which looks to be about 20% of order holders did.
2. Webasto is still struggling to build 60% of the rest of the projected hard top orders.
3. What percentage of hard tops being built are 2 door vs. 4 door? 60/40 or 40/60? I know There’s a higher percent of 4 doors being built by the forum’s order spreadsheet and graphs. But seeing 2 doors currently only have one top option, would that mean they would be take priority over 4 door tops?

For us 2 door people we can only hope lol

 

[Wanted33]

Unfortunately it looks like Ford will have to stick with Webasto for the short term. Opening a new plant, or going with a new supplier who would have to tool up will take quite a long time. It won't help any reservations holders very much at this point IMHO. In my mind I know this calamity will end soon, but my heart keeps screaming, "Come on people, I want my Bronco".

 

[blu76]

So webasto is going to open a second plant and then lose the contract? Seems like it’s either one or the other.

Not sure what will happen on their end can only confirm that there is a contract in place with a new supplier.

Sponsored