Ford nurtures local parts suppliers
Aftermarket industry will be well supported by Ford beyond end of manufacturingA waning Australian dollar and a change of philosophy at the highest managerial levels of the Ford Motor Company have opened the door for Australian parts suppliers to sell their wares around the world.
As we reported yesterday, Ford Australia Communications & Public Affairs Director Wes Sherwood says that Ford globally has moved to an innovation culture, rather than a budget-brand culture. That, and the lower cost of parts sourced from local suppliers, has been the tipping point for companies like Carbon Revolution Wheels to win a supply contract with Ford.
The Geelong-based wheel manufacturer is the 18th tier-one supplier from Australia to sign up with Ford globally. Ford Australia has run trade fairs and conducted trade missions to bring together local parts suppliers with Ford's global purchasing execs. As a result, the number of local firms doing business with Ford around the world has doubled from nine since Ford Australia's post-manufacturing strategy was set in train, about 18 months ago.
Locally, Ford Australia has named 63 parts suppliers that will remain involved with Ford for aftermarket equipment beyond the end of manufacturing in October 2016. Some of those were tier-one suppliers as well as aftermarket suppliers. The 17 local companies contracted to Ford outside Australia are among them, and are a mix tier-one/two and aftermarket.
Ford Australia named MTM and Futuris as examples; the two companies – formerly tier-one suppliers for Falcon and Territory – will continue to produce aftermarket parts for locally-manufactured Fords long after the company has ceased manufacturing cars here. But the two companies are also engaged with Ford on a global level, selling tier-one parts around the world.
"This work will help us maintain a supply of high-quality parts for our customers for years to come," said Carl Parkin, General Manager, Purchasing at Ford of Australia. "At the same time, we can continue to come up with new ideas for our global vehicles.
"We have seen firsthand for many years the dedication and innovation of Australia's auto suppliers. We are pleased to work with them, through our local program and engineering team, to expand their expertise on a global scale."
Pictured: Falcon XR6 seats supplied by Futuris
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