Ford has new painted MOD top supplier for Bronco after Webasto loses contract

[AZshot]

Can a new supplier get up and running by 2023 I dont see it happening Ford has had how many years to get the MIC top made and they still having trouble with then I see more drop balls buy Ford.

Easily. Remember, car companies come out with a new year model every year, for every one of their cars and trucks. Ford came out with the Ranger a couple years ago, and the Maverick is coming. Every auto company is supported by hundreds of sub-contractors. It's nothing for one of the Big Three to approach a company with a new windshield need, new shocks, new dashboard design. People here keep acting like making a composite material top is difficult and takes years of R&D. It doesn't, the main problem is Webslacko just didn't get rolling during the Pandemic fast enough, and therefore not enough First Unit testing was done. The new top company will have a year to do all that.

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[Krisegon]

LOL, only to later find out that the contract was given to the Defense Logistics Agency for bidding and awarding... The DLA can make ANY contract into a nightmare... Maybe they'll award it to Lockheed-Martin's Composites Group??? LOL

Hey! I resemble that remark! If DLA owned the drawings they would've had contracts with multiple manufacturers at once, given the volume and timeframe, and then weeded out the bad ones for non-performance, while exercising options with the good ones. However, they would all be delivered to the wrong locations and the tops would be mislabeled.

 

[mpeugeot]

Hey! I resemble that remark! If DLA owned the drawings they would've had contracts with multiple manufacturers at once, given the volume and timeframe, and then weeded out the bad ones for non-performance, while exercising options with the good ones. However, they would all be delivered to the wrong locations and the tops would be mislabeled.

I know, I was just playing on the meme that government has a problem with fulfilling contracts. Sometimes they do an amazing job, other times less so.

 

[Catmandu]

Webasto has become a convenient whipping boy for this fiasco, with Covid running a close second.

But you have to remember that long before we even knew there were bats in Wuhan, the MIC top was designed and engineered by Ford...they own the patents, and even the machinery in Plymouth that produces the tops.

This is true. We also know that Ford way underestimated demand for the 6G. I would venture to say that the lower forecast for demand has played a role in top issue as well.

 

[Gamecock]

Webasto has become a convenient whipping boy for this fiasco, with Covid running a close second.

But you have to remember that long before we even knew there were bats in Wuhan, the MIC top was designed and engineered by Ford...they own the patents, and even the machinery in Plymouth that produces the tops.

They are the whipping boy because they have been a disaster....incompetent at every turn. Say what you want to defend them, but they have been a disaster; thus, they have been fired from the MOD top.

 

[Krisegon]

I know, I was just playing on the meme that government has a problem with fulfilling contracts. Sometimes they do an amazing job, other times less so.

Truth...

I would say that DLA's communication skills are much better, though. Probably from having more experience with failure.

 

[tjnoffy]

I don't see why Ford can't just build these themselves. To AZshot's point, during WWII, Ford was able to drop everything and produce 87,000 aircraft, with finished planes rolling off assembly lines in 6 months. But plastic roofs? No way that's too hard. Thank god B-17s didn't need plastic roofs or we'd be speaking german.

To say nothing of the quarter million Jeeps (ahem!) they produced!

 

[Krisegon]

Webasto has become a convenient whipping boy for this fiasco, with Covid running a close second.

But you have to remember that long before we even knew there were bats in Wuhan, the MIC top was designed and engineered by Ford...they own the patents, and even the machinery in Plymouth that produces the tops.

No, no...we learned about the bats in Wuhan in 2011.

 

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

there are plenty of reasons to not self produce things like the tops. the capital investment to build the factory. this is taxed as property. the machinery to produce is also taxed.

taxes are brutal on the large corporations. when i used to own a bar, i was taxed a property tax, like on a home, on the furniture, the liquor i was selling (in addition to the sales tax paid at the time of purchase). the structure i was operating out of. the refrigeration equipment... even the money kept on hand for banks for the cash register. i would need to pay an annual property tax on all of these assets.

that is one reason i can think of which would cause a corporation to consider farming out the production.

also there will probably be a bunch of EPA regulations in the production of the tops which corporate did not want to deal with...

just my $ 0.02

Dude, taxes are almost nothing for large corporations, stop carrying water for guys much richer than you who don't need your help.

Taxes are pretty bad for small companies, mainly because they don't have/haven't made much money yet.

Any capital expenditures on the building or acquisition of a factory is highly subsidized by state, local, and at times the federal government. These subsidies are usually in the form of grants, meaning not to be repaid.

Further, the securing of any contract with a very large Fortune 50 corp like Ford would bring all sorts of investors to help further defray costs.

If any company can show an ability to scale a project like this with a calendar for deliverables and pass the reference review process, they can get this contract or any other like it. The key in what I just wrote is "scale". So, if you have the engineers with the proper expertise (Webasto), sure. Starting from nothing is difficult but its due to scale not taxes which corporations hardly pay.

Keep your dog whistles out of here particularly when you're just making shit up.

 

[tjnoffy]

A statement here suggests Ford is the one that pulled the plug. Not sure how reliable this article is.

https://broncobastards.com/blogs/ne...-taking-over-the-webasto-plant-in-plymouth-mi

This article looks to be about Ford going in to Webasto's plant to help them get their shit in one sock back in May/June. Clearly didn't fix the issue.

 

[Carolina Jim]

Say what you want to defend them, but they have been a disaster

I agree they've done a bad job in the role they were assigned.

But my point is Webasto's role is minuscule...their job is to push the button and pull the lever on the equipment Ford owns. In order to produce a top Ford designed...with components Ford specified.

Are you thinking Ford's MIC engineers have been promoted for a job well done?

 

[da_jokker]

This is true. We also know that Ford way underestimated demand for the 6G. I would venture to say that the lower forecast for demand has played a role in top issue as well.

I don't know how though. They had wrangler numbers to look at, 4runner, hell even their own rangers.

I mean 150k vehicle demand for the relaunch of an icon? What did they think they were going to sell? Like 50k of them?

Oh and IF this was truly the case, they would have shut down the Reservations..yet a year later and they are still taking them.

 

[Brongo]

The new contracted supplier states they’re brand new but have all the staff and tooling in place already, says CEO of said company, “Webasdo”.

 

[JB1901]

it really does apply differently to which state and locale you are located in. as we are all aware there are 50 different stated and each of those states have different methods of taxing their residents and businesses. thank you for informing me of the specific circumstances of your local area. and i hope your forklift is fully depreciated. and you are able to recuperate the initial cost of purchase in tax savings, but if it holds value during an audit it may still be assessed as an asset.

Sure...I was referring to the Federal tax liability which is typically exponentially higher than any state taxes. Your original post was mostly inaccurate on capital expenditures hence my comment. Obviously there are differences depending on assets, states, if they are an LLC (bonus depreciation) or S-Corp, etc. There are going to be differences but your broad brush you painted wasn't how it typically shakes out at all.

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