Hoo Boy 🤦 Ford cutting 8,000 salaried jobs

[Zacha341]

^ Looks compelling... there's little keeping me paying my Netflix streaming now.

To our problems in US car manufacturing, YES we can absolutely do better. And that needs to be priority over other the work-related 'stuffings'. As a Toyota car enthusiast I have experienced great quality from some of their older models per their Kaizen work ethic:

Kaizen: a compound of two Japanese words that together translate as "good change" or "improvement." However, Kaizen has come to mean "continuous improvement" through its association with lean methodology and principles. Kaizen has its origins in post-World War II Japanese quality circles.

https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp...lity%20circles.

[oladub]

Zacha, I expanded on the 8,000 jobs lost in another thread since taken down that had a focus on a bill purporting to reduce inflation. Although 2/3 of my reply had to do with how it related to Detroit's auto industry, I will have to try to reframe my response to fit here and be about Detroit without answering your question about how it will affect me.

Subsidies found in the "Inflation Reduction Act" to Big Three Auto companies that sell EVs should be helpful to Detroit. "To address climate change, the bill includes $10 billion in tax credits to build electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines; $7,500 tax credit rebates for consumers to buy electric vehicles." Some of those vehicles will be built in SE Michigan. There is "another $2 billion in grants to “retool” existing car factories for electric vehicles." All these corporate subsidies and Ford will probably still get rid of 8,000 workers.

Chinese and Korean EV battery producers, SE Asian solar panel producers, and probably foreign EV makers will also be among the primary beneficiaries of this bill. President Biden eliminated some tariffs on Chinese goods and SE Asian solar panels to fight inflation. Ford Motors is letting go of 8,000 workers to help pay for its transition to EV production using Chinese or Korean batteries. Here is a Vietnamese company planning to build EVs with federal subsidies here [S. Carolina, not Detroit]. So in addition to Ford letting go so many employees, I see nothing stopping foreign companies coming to the US to compete with Ford and GM for subsidies and market share without big-3 legacy costs.

[Zacha341]

^ Indeed. Threads come and go. The point remaining is that Detroiters do best - head-on-a-swivel, ever-watchful - when we carefully assess policy. Period.

Including that which purports to be expedient and helpful. The devil will be in the details [as to how Detroiter's ACTUALLY benefit long term] - going forward.

[jiminnm]

Ford announced today that they are again taking orders for the F-150 Lightning EV, with a price increase of $4,200-$8,900 [[base model up $7K).

[Zacha341]

^HAH. Forget about it. Who really needs any personal-use cars/ trucks [0:38] EV or ICE!? Or even big-foot homes.

Let's get the Line City started here ASAP!

[313WX]

FWIW, Eric Starkman is reporting Jim Farley himself leaked this story to Bloomberg.

https://starkmanapproved.com/the-bel...-woke-gannett/

[Richard]

Granted opinion ^ but if you follow his links

What’s clear is that the conversion to electric vehicles is going to mean a major loss of American jobs. As reported by Codrin Spiridon in the trade publication AutoEvolution, more than 600,000 manufacturing jobs will likely be lost by 2030 because of the accelerated conversion to electric vehicles.

This all reminds me of what happened to the steel industry in this country,the feds gave the steel companies billions in order to reinvest and re-tool in order to compete in order to save jobs.

The steel companies reinvested those monies in moving off shore and then shut the factories down.

Out of all of these billions,show me one politician that has pressed for at least $50 in re-training programs for the estimated 600,000 job losses.

Boss man said they can go build solar panels,who wants to move to China?

Two things build solar panels,robots and slave labor.

Betcha those same politicians in 2030 will be advocating for billions in section 8 in order to feed and house those who they have thrown into the street,who exactly are they saving the planet from ?

We are entering into the realm of 50 year home mortgages and 15 year auto loans all designed to keep the average citizen in debt from cradle to grave.

[Richard]

^HAH. Forget about it. Who really needs any personal-use cars/ trucks [0:38] EV or ICE!? Or even big-foot homes.

Let's get the Line City started here ASAP!

Not for nothing but Walt Disneys EPCOT original city concept was that,before it became convoluted.

That was back in the 1960s.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqLo4J6mrQ

[313WX]

Based on the anecdotal comments I'm reading on The Layoff, tomorrow and the rest of this upcoming week is D-Day for Ford workers.

[JonWylie]

Looks like it will be more like 3,000

Ford tells employees it will cut 3,000 jobs | Crain's Detroit Business [[crainsdetroit.com)

Ford Motor Co. plans to eliminate 3,000 jobs globally this week, according to a letter sent to employees Monday and obtained by Automotive News.

The automaker is cutting 2,000 salaried positions and 1,000 agency jobs, CEO Jim Farley and Executive Chair Bill Ford said. Affected employees in the U.S., Canada and India will be informed this week, the letter said. A Ford spokesman confirmed the letter as authentic.

[Maof]

Based on the anecdotal comments I'm reading on The Layoff, tomorrow and the rest of this upcoming week is D-Day for Ford workers.

You're right. As of now, they're slashing field jobs. So far 2000 cuts today.

[Richard]

Hopefully they will get enough of a severance pay in order to buy a flight to China so they can build solar panels,like da boss man said they can do.

But then again in the bigger picture they are just collateral damage,what’s a few lives when it comes to saving the planet ?

[313WX]

Looks like it will be more like 3,000

Ford tells employees it will cut 3,000 jobs | Crain's Detroit Business [[crainsdetroit.com)

Note that it says 3,000 for just this week.

There may be one or more waves of cuts in the coming months.

[Smirnoff]

Getting rid of the "dead-weight" or aka the professional coffee drinkers can be uplifting for both involved parties. . . ...welcome to the MC!

[Honky Tonk]

Getting rid of the "dead-weight" or aka the professional coffee drinkers can be uplifting for both involved parties. . . ...welcome to the MC!

Just like in that movie 9-5, or one of those TV sitcoms, eh?

[Richard]

Fords counter is they are adding workers on the EV side so the loss balances out,even though it is well known that fewer workers will be needed on the EV side.

If they are investing in the future,how come they could not retrain the existing workers?

They keep saying that they are doing this in order to compete with Tesla,can they really ever compete with a start up that does not have the legacy costs that Ford will always have?

It’s just basic economics,it cost Ford X amount to build a vehicle before even they build it.

I also wonder how the recent $1.6 billion lawsuit comes into play,that has to hurt.

What is the labor force structural difference needed in EV production verses ICE ?

The future looks like one would only need a few design engineers with a laptop and some technical support on the assembly line in order to fix the robotic assembly line.

Teslas design is bolting pre built components together,in theory Ford could just have component manufacturers and only need a line to attach the components together.

With Tesla you do not change a dented fender,you change that whole module that the fender is attached to.

They are doing the same thing in the ship building industry,assembling modular components in order to create a ship,what used to take a crew of 15,000 now takes less then 1500.

It looks like with EVs it is more about the technology aspect verses the assembly line of mass production of the past,you do not need the workers anymore,just the coffee drinkers.

64% of the population is working,44% of those are working in unskilled positions,the way this is all heading,we are going to end up with 20% of the working population supporting the rest of the non working population.

We are doing things because we can,but is that really the best way ?

[JonWylie]

Note that it says 3,000 for just this week.

There may be one or more waves of cuts in the coming months.

Good catch

[Smirnoff]

Just like in that movie 9-5, or one of those TV sitcoms, eh?

MBA playbook; complacent rule 101. . . ...

[Pat001]

I was hired by Ford in 2000. The first mass firing of 5,000 salaried employees was announced in 2001, a few months prior to 9/11. If they had waited a few months they could have blamed everything on 9/11.

They have been cutting staff every few years since then, so you can be certain there will be more cuts.

[Zacha341]

I think Ford's in worse shape than claimed. I travel in the south notice and note few Fords driven for example in Georgia. Sure we see plenty up here in as captive-audience Michigan, but elsewhere how are they doing?

Sure, some of their vehicles are ok and others are legend. But systemic disasters such as those 150 Trident 3 value-engines was just brain-dead sustained poor engineering. Like can you make a strong engine or not? I have a friend with a Ford Focus she's kept too long, now going down hill faster than it should... or those tickity-tak-tak 3-cyl jobs they played with a few years back.

I did I love my Escort decades ago. It was a tank for sure!

[jcole]

Honda, Hyundai and Toyota plants are mostly in the South, Alabama and Tennessee in particular, so it's not a big surprise that the people who work in those plants buy those cars.

[Zacha341]

^ Yeah. I thought about that yet I saw Chevy's and Dodges enough.

[Smirnoff]

I think Ford's in worse shape than claimed. I travel in the south notice and note few Fords driven for example in Georgia. Sure we see plenty up here in as captive-audience Michigan, but elsewhere how are they doing?

Sure, some of their vehicles are ok and others are legend. But systemic disasters such as those 150 Trident 3 value-engines was just brain-dead sustained poor engineering. Like can you make a strong engine or not? I have a friend with a Ford Focus she's kept too long, now going down hill faster than it should... or those tickity-tak-tak 3-cyl jobs they played with a few years back.

I did I love my Escort decades ago. It was a tank for sure!

Work chum just got his F-150 3-valve fixed, cam phasers went bad, only $7k to fix, only.

[Richard]

I think Ford's in worse shape than claimed. I travel in the south notice and note few Fords driven for example in Georgia. Sure we see plenty up here in as captive-audience Michigan, but elsewhere how are they doing?

Sure, some of their vehicles are ok and others are legend. But systemic disasters such as those 150 Trident 3 value-engines was just brain-dead sustained poor engineering. Like can you make a strong engine or not? I have a friend with a Ford Focus she's kept too long, now going down hill faster than it should... or those tickity-tak-tak 3-cyl jobs they played with a few years back.

I did I love my Escort decades ago. It was a tank for sure!

I think it depends on where one is at,there are not many major employers in the south like the north was,so lots of independent small businesses that use trucks.

Hispanics have gravitated from Toyotas and Hondas to Kia and Hyundai,aggressive pricing and easy financing.

In Tennessee and Alabama when the factories established there you could buy 10-20 acres with a mobile home for under $50,000 rural,so factory workers there drive fuel efficient vehicles for their back n forth work car,you can bet they have their Ford,Dodge,Chevrolet truck waiting for them at home.

In Fla HOAs frown on trucks and some flat out ban them unless they can be parked in the garage and out of site.

Anywhere near the south and within 50 miles of the coast,most will have boats which requires a truck to bring the boat to the water.

There is no shortage of truck sales in the south,Ford rules followed by Chevrolet then Dodge.

My 97 Ford/Jaguar was originally designed to have a V8,it was not ready for the 95-97 MY,they came out with it for the 1998 but it took them until 2001 to build one that lasted more then 20,000 miles before imploding.

Like was mentioned,the dealer repair costs are border line insanity,out of warranty I do not see a large percentage of the truck owners being able to afford the repair costs that will come with these trucks as they age,but it is not uncommon to be seeing them with over 200k and still going strong which is a far cry from the old days where when an American built vehicle hit 100k it was worn out.

I have a 2020 F250 SD that is used in a hauling business and is averaging over 50,000 miles per year,I have personally driven it probably 3 times at best,but it was impressive.

I used it to pick up a vintage car on a trailer and was keeping up with traffic on the highway,looked down and was going 95 but it felt like going 50 mph,did not even feel the trailer behind it.

But it is governed at 97 mph.