Odd Call from Ford Dealer

[Grafx36510]

In all honesty, he’s not wrong. If he’s trying to preserve the current workforce plus add additional skilled staff, it’s a major problem we have across all modalities of manufacturing. I’m battling this current issue myself and I can either hire bodies who MIGHT learn or pay for the skilled labor (which I have no problem doing) but that skill will retire in 3-5 years with no real replacement.

Sponsored

 

[HammaMan]

You can't waive a wand and generate a skilled workforce unfortunately. Typically when a new plant is being built, part of the agreement is with the state which will start to transform local colleges and possibly even high schools to setup training programs for the factories. The business then pays so much per head coming out of these into their facilities. The whole dance is quite a bit more involved and challenging than many realize.

Now as to the local economy, each plant like that getting built typically has a 10:1 employment bonus for the surrounding area. If a plant employees 1k employees, there's another 10k jobs created in sustaining the plant, its people, and ongoing operations. It's a pretty big deal with huge amounts of additional capital impact even in surrounding states. The biggest problem the US has is a worker shortage. Part of that has to do with pushing people into college that really had no business being there in the first place. Nothing like getting a degree that has no utility to society while the pupil racks up loads of debt only to work at starbucks or waiting tables.

Meanwhile they could have gone to a tech school free for 2 years and come out making $70k of compensation, debt free.

 

[Grafx36510]

You can't waive a wand and generate a skilled workforce unfortunately. Typically when a new plant is being built, part of the agreement is with the state which will start to transform local colleges and possibly even high schools to setup training programs for the factories. The business then pays so much per head coming out of these into their facilities. The whole dance is quite a bit more involved and challenging than many realize.

… Part of that has to do with pushing people into college that really had no business being there in the first place.

I think we’re on the same page and noticing the same trend. I’m in an industry that has been “dying” or “dead” for longer than I’ve been in it, as a result, the training for it has dried up. Ford trying to upskill their current workforce is laudable in the context you mention. I’m not saying it’s easy, nor will it be painless, or cheap. But the effort is being attempted. How it pans out is anyone’s guess. 50 years of outsourcing and offshoring, coupled with ‘college for everyone’ is coming back to haunt us.

 

[HammaMan]

I think we’re on the same page and noticing the same trend. I’m in an industry that has been “dying” or “dead” for longer than I’ve been in it, as a result, the training for it has dried up. Ford trying to upskill their current workforce is laudable in the context you mention. I’m not saying it’s easy, nor will it be painless, or cheap. But the effort is being attempted. How it pans out is anyone’s guess. 50 years of outsourcing and offshoring, coupled with ‘college for everyone’ is coming back to haunt us.

Well some of what they're doing with new facilities and location has nothing to do with the current workforce. Sure they'll transition a few factories, but they've got a big new development they're working on that won't be staffed with current employees. They're going to need 1) loads of automation which I'm sure they're working on and 2) new employees with entirely different skill sets, and an equal amount of employees already seasoned on assembly. Perhaps some will move, but either way they're entering a new arena with battery production, component / sub component / ECU assembly / motors / batteries and testing, and that too is things they just don't do now. Those are 1-2 years worth of trade school requirements at a minimum. Assuming they started working on that last year, they might start producing candidates in 2 years time.

I understand they've got a couple tesla veterans that have given them a working roadmap, we'll see if they're actually able to follow it. They really need new candidates willing to school then work, as skilled re-training is $$$. They'd pay the state ~$30k a head or so vs retraining employees which would take $100k+, something that's reserved for 'star' candidates. That's just not something they'd do for a majority of employees. Maybe they could do some kind of not-an-employee bonus paid tuition program? Either way there's a team scrambling right now fighting with bean counters to make sure things are in-place to have facilities come out swinging.

 

[ks54703]

Just got a call from my local Ford dealer. They said they wanted to send a technician to my house to complete the trailer module recall and the wiper arm recall. I told them long ago I got tired of the delays from Ford and bought my own wiper arms and did the trailer module recall through FDRS. She said they will not change their system until they replace the arms again and redo the trailer module programming.

I politely declined the offer. After getting everything running right in my PowerBoost the last thing I want them to do is start fiddling around with FDRS in my driveway. Anyone else getting this call? They must have a program going to clean up these recalls.

Last thing that would happen to the F150 sitting in the driveway would be to let some phone call phishing schemer anywhere close to the truck. Next thing you know it is bye bye F150. With all of today's spam callers anything is possible.

#1 If the Dealer needs to fix it and take it off the records then the dealer can schedule to your liking and have parts in hand and you have no wait time.

#2 Do as what is being done now here with the present recall of 22V686 park position flicker. Goes in the next oil change due at folder then all is done at the same time.

 

[JJSnell]

In all honesty, he’s not wrong. If he’s trying to preserve the current workforce plus add additional skilled staff, it’s a major problem we have across all modalities of manufacturing. I’m battling this current issue myself and I can either hire bodies who MIGHT learn or pay for the skilled labor (which I have no problem doing) but that skill will retire in 3-5 years with no real replacement.

Thats fine... he can be "right" all day long, but thats not what you verbalize to your investors and future buyers...
First off he should never say *I*, and he did... but you dont say, "I can't upskill everyone in time". That strikes negativity twice...
1. Investors who want to invest in Ford stock.
2 Secondly to the future buyers, 'We will struggle to upscale our current workers to hobble together a battery\hybrid car or truck for you, wish us luck.'

Instead a more robust and confident statement from Farley should have been:
"We recognize the future of automobiles and are' currently training, recruiting and working with some of the most experienced educators, factory workers and engineers to continue building the best automobiles on the planet.
Ford has been the backbone of our industry and mark my words, we are continuing to move forward on our future generations of Ford products."

If it take 3-5yrs, so be it. But dont tell the public you are struggling in education and recrutiment...

Sponsored