You may be thinking about this.

All 3 of these companies are doing their damndest to save every penny possible. Example: I test drove 5 Ford Escapes in 2001. All 5 had the same rattle in the rear everytime i hit a bump. If Ford had spent some money on research and R&D they would have found the cause and found a way to fix it before the product hit the street.

Ford needs someone in the CEO’s office that knows what he is doing. A car guy not an aviation man. Someome from the aviation industry shouldn’t be heading a company that builds vehicles. The two industries don’t exactly share product in common !!!!!!!

The Ford Family needs to relenquish control of the company. It is there stubborn ways and mentality that is driving this company to the brink of collapse. They believe the company is doing fine and that early 20th century ways of doing business is ok in the 21st century. Ford, GM and Chyrsler got caught flat footed by the Japanese and Europeans and now they can’t and don’t know how to play catch up or compete. Instead of paying millions of dollars in high wages to the company big shits, that money would be better spent on R&D and product quality. And, the Mercury brand should be killed ASAP!!!!!!!!! It has never been profitible for Ford and it is draining precious money that the company can use in MUCH better ways.

I can hear it now, another person down on the domestics. Well , as long as the product is second rate in quality, safty, reliability and resale value i will continue to buy Japanese (HONDA)

P.S: I predict that Ford will be in bankruptsy court befroe Dec. 31,2008. How the mighty hath fallen. Anf they have no one to blame but the Ford Family!!!

“Until the Venza, Toyota’s designers built the prototype vehicles themselves. This time, the manufacturing team in Georgetown built them, tested them and found themselves involved in each step of the process.”
“… software … helps identify installation processes that will overtax certain muscle groups of assembly-line workers, giving Haddix and his team time to create alternatives.”
“It hasn’t always been that way. Automakers once sent their new vehicles down the line only to discover troubling issues and be stuck spending great sums to retool the process.”
“Now, after identifying problems, the group coordinates with designers and, within a week, many procedures have been redesigned.”
“Bates said working with those designers has been difficult at times, as some lack assembly experience. To resolve that, he invited them to Georgetown, where they found themselves out on the line for a while, he said.”

Detroit has been making cars for a century. Have GM, Ford or Chrysler tried this? If not, why not?