Course Project: Quality Analysis II

Quality Analysis

Michael Prince

South University

Quality Analysis

Introduction

In this paper, quality analysis of a certain product produced by a well-known company will be discussed. The company selected for this study is Ford Company, which is a US-based firm headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan and specializing in automotive production. The firm was started by Henry Ford in 1903 and has produced automotive under the brand name Ford and enjoying most of United States market by being the leading car seller firm. Ford automotive company is recognized for being the first to introduce large-scale manufacturing of cars using elaborately engineering sequences by applying assembly lines. Apart of entering large-scale production, Ford company also has gained reputation especially in the recent years by increasing quality in the automotive through improved manufacturing technology making it a priority among the customers ("Customer Satisfaction and Quality - Sustainability Report 2014/15 - Ford Motor Company", 2016).

Quality in Ford Cars

Quality is the main driver of production in the company after the company realized that customers expect high-quality products every time they purchase something expensive such as cars. The company also recognize that clients expect quality services in financing, purchasing and vehicle services. Quality is, therefore, a central mission of the company and a top priority among employees. Quality has not been achieved easily in the enterprise product, but it is something that has been achieved over time through significant efforts. For example, there are many incidences where the business was found in controversies over quality such as when Firestone tires mainly used by Ford cars had higher failures (Rosevear, 2016).

Quality is also part of global warming issues where Ford aims at producing those cars that are less carbon producing ("Customer Satisfaction and Quality - Sustainability Report 2014/15 - Ford Motor Company", 2016). There is a worldwide call to produce those cars that are more fuel-efficient to avoid releasing much carbon (IV) oxide gasses to the atmosphere and Ford Company has responded to this by using latest technologies in producing more efficient engines.

The next step is SWOT analysis of the company.

Strengths

One of the greatest strength that Ford Company enjoys is having a strong position in United States market. The company is said to have its biggest market in the US but also enjoying other larger markets in Europe and China and also rest of the world. The other strength that the company enjoys includes established brands such as the Ford, which is widely known. Ford also enjoys a strong financial position, proven expertise in research, manufacturing and development (Schock, 2013).

Weaknesses

One of the weakness that the company has is the poor reputation of American automotive products compared to Japanese and European competitors. Ford also heavily relies on European and US markets where main operations are based, inability to match sales volume to that of Toyota and General Motors and heavy reliance on working class customers.

Opportunities

Ford has an opportunity to invest in new technologies such as self-driving cars and electric vehicles (Rosevear, 2016). Ford is one of the leading enterprises in producing non-fuel cars called C-Max Electric and Fusion Hybrid which make the company more successful if the dream is realized.

Threats

There is much-increased presence of Japanese and German competitors in the US which is are the main competitors of the company. Other automotive companies are also investing heaving in alternative fuel engines where Toyota and Volkswagen are improving a lot. Widespread electric cars market adoption will also force costly upgrades to plants and expensive changes to dealerships (Schock, 2013).

Quality Focus

The quality focus will only be achieved on meeting exceeding customer expectations. There are many qualitative aspects that the clients want in cars and Ford can define features in cars based on extensive consumer research and validate vehicle designs that meet client’s needs. Also, high-tech design tool should be used by manufacturing engineers to detect quality issues and implement solution-based evaluation of performance (Schock, 2013).

Lacking Quality Culture

Some aspects of quality culture that the company is lacking include the launching of new products. The company has problems with its suppliers where parts of all new products are faulty especially during last year. The other quality issue is MyFord Touch System. The system has a touchscreen that allows voice commands to be linked to the smartphone, but the system is prone to glitches, and the interface is not great (Rosevear, 2016). The system sounds like a nuisance, and there is much improvement that should be done.

Customers

Customers of Ford include all fans of the company’s cars the Ford in particular which is the primary model. The main customers are from the United States, but they are also distributed all over the world.

Implementing changes

Ford should collect reviews of its products from the customers and improve on areas facing quality issues. For example, the company should make sure that all new products released meet all the quality standards which can be achieved quickly through tests before releasing in the market (Schock, 2013). The company should also improve MyFord Touch System by making it more sensitive and responsive.

Strategic Alliance

The company should make a strategic alliance with major quality assurance firms to assist in checking quality issues before releasing in the market. For example, the company can outsource quality control to an independent firm of engineers who can detect and suppose changes to Ford automotive before releasing into the market (Rosevear, 2016).

References

Customer Satisfaction and Quality - Sustainability Report 2014/15 - Ford Motor Company. (2016). Corporate.ford.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016, from https://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2014-15/product-satisfaction.html

Schock, H. (2013). Evaluation And Accreditation Of Inspection And Test Activities. Philadelphia, Pa: American Society for Testing and Materials.

Rosevear, J. (2016). Why Ford Still Has Work to Do on Quality -- The Motley Fool. The Motley Fool. Retrieved 1 June 2016, from http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/06/30/why-ford-still-has-work-to-do-on-quality.aspx