Bronco Production and Testing Process -- MAP Factory Stages From Paint to Shipping

[flip]

We have a Toyota plant near us that gives tours. I wish Ford did the same thing because it's absolutely insane to watch how everything comes together, especially the phase the raw body gets dipped and goes through paint.

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[Toccoa]

@Razorbak86, you forgot the Reservation Bronco Curing Process (RBCP) where they leave it outside for six months to let the hardtops develop their snakeskin pattern, add interior mold from leaky roofs, and let water spots etch into the clear coat.

Note: This process does not apply to retail orders. Those are labeled "high priority" for YouTubers and BaT flippers, and are sent right away.

 

[P52Ranch]

Great list thanks for assembling.

"Shipped" status starts when the vehicle is ready to be shipped and not when it is actually enroute. Sort of like "In Production" status begins when the production planning and window sticker start and not when bolts and nuts are being screwed together.

My experience on the "Shipped" status with my Lightning. It was shipped rail. I was fortunate that my FordPass app had been activated so I could see where it was parked.

My Lightning was moved to the railcar loading ramp parking lot and a day later I received "Shipped" notification. However, I could see that it was still sitting in the parking lot. Ford chat confirmed that my Lightning was "released to the ramp" but it was not yet assigned to a railcar. My Lightning sat at the loading ramp for eleven days before it was loaded onto a railcar. As soon as I saw my Lightning "parked" on the railroad tracks with the FordPass app, I contacted chat and was able to get a railcar number.

 

[Razorbak86]

Great list thanks for assembling.

"Shipped" status starts when the vehicle is ready to be shipped and not when it is actually enroute. Sort of like "In Production" status begins when the production planning and window sticker start and not when bolts and nuts are being screwed together.

My experience on the "Shipped" status with my Lightning. It was shipped rail. I was fortunate that my FordPass app had been activated so I could see where it was parked.

My Lightning was moved to the railcar loading ramp parking lot and a day later I received "Shipped" notification. However, I could see that it was still sitting in the parking lot. Ford chat confirmed that my Lightning was "released to the ramp" but it was not yet assigned to a railcar. My Lightning sat at the loading ramp for eleven days before it was loaded onto a railcar. As soon as I saw my Lightning "parked" on the railroad tracks with the FordPass app, I contacted chat and was able to get a railcar number.

Thanks. I will clarify the shipping line item.

 

[Alcotune]

Management level (superintendent and above) employees drive a vehicle home every day and fill out an evaluation. At our plant the mileage limit was 75 total. Great perk and the evaluation catches things that the quality system misses.

I guess this is what the note in my window was about...
not sure if they had to tweak anything but the fit and finish of my unit is great and no issues what so ever (yet).

 

[Alcotune]

One caveat, we never had chip shortages. I could see a unit with a defective chip part sitting in the yard for a while.

Like 5-6 months for many of us that had January blend dates

 

[HBTFD]

I guess this is what the note in my window was about...
not sure if they had to tweak anything but the fit and finish of my unit is great and no issues what so ever (yet).

Yes. Most of the randomly selected vehicles do not have defects. The units are picked from the shipping yard or right before they go out of the gate.

 

[KyTruckPlant]

MAP has a stamping facility, so technically, the first step of the process is stamping out the metal parts of the body to send to the body shop for construction (we refer to the body construction area as the "body shop")

 

[mpeugeot]

I can safely say that no wind noise testing could have occurred on my vehicle, as I have never had a vehicle with such horrible wind noise in my life!

 

[Razorbak86]

MAP has a stamping facility, so technically, the first step of the process is stamping out the metal parts of the body to send to the body shop for construction (we refer to the body construction area as the "body shop")

Thanks for the feedback.

I modified the first bullet to read as follows:

• Stamping, Body Shop, & Paint (2-3 production days)
  • Stamping, metal work, sealer, paint, AS/RS inbound/outbound.

Is that correctly stated? Is the 2-3 production days still correct? Let me know if I need to incorporate further clarifications.

 

[SCBronco1]

Mine must have missed the tunnel lights process.

Nope, they switched to 35 watt bulbs that day.

 

[NotaChief]

Thanks for the insight! Mines been stuck between blend and shipment readiness since August 8th so I hope they’re just busy adding on a bunch of accidental accessories, otherwise I’m afraid they built it upside down and had to start over haha!

I'm right there with you. I got a "built" email more than a month ago without any progress since & now it shows it's in production again. It's an absolute base with no mods or accessories so who knows what they could be doing. Ford customer service says it's on the ramp to ship but they told me that weeks ago. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[SHLYGRR]

I'm right there with you. I got a "built" email more than a month ago without any progress since & now it shows it's in production again. It's an absolute base with no mods or accessories so who knows what they could be doing. Ford customer service says it's on the ramp to ship but they told me that weeks ago. Anyone have any ideas?

Mine is finally in shipping phase which can take up to 4-5 weeks with supply chain and railway bottlenecks. But I totally feel you. The build process inherently includes the transfer to shipping. I think Ford assumed this wouldn’t be a huge time sink. I just get annoyed that with such a messy manufacturing process and supply chain chaos, Ford is dropping the ball on clear communication to customers about timing. Can’t be that hard to accurately display build state so customers feel included in the process. That’s my gripe for the day haha.

 

[RicochetJP]

What does Ramp 4G mean exactly? Is it the last step before it is placed in a railcar for shipment?

 

[Razorbak86]

What does Ramp 4G mean exactly? Is it the last step before it is placed in a railcar for shipment?

That's the first reference I have seen of "Ramp 4G" in this thread. Is that something that Ford communicated directly to you? If so, it seems reasonable to assume that's the last step before shipping.

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