[WeeSUV]

Ford will be hiring around 1,000 people in Romania because they're preparing to produce the EcoSport subcompact SUV at their factory in Craiova. That means the European markets will no longer be importing the EcoSport from India. The plant in Chennai will continue to build the SUV for domestic sales and other export markets.

Think there's going to be a quality difference between the two plants?

 

[GoGreen]

There shouldn't be. Quality standards from Ford should remain the same regardless of where they're being built. Specs are specs and that's about it.

 

[WeeSUV]

Wonder why Ford decided to produce the EcoSport there, does it have something to do with the B-Max that's also assembled there?

 

[GoGreen]

Do they share parts or anything in that regard??

 

[WeeSUV]

They may share the same 1.0 litre EcoBoost petrol engine but in different tune. In that case I can see why Ford would want to produce the two models in the same plant.

 

[GoGreen]

I don't know if powerplant is enough to warrant keeping it at the same facility though. Also have to look at their platforms and other components at the same time

 

[workingclasshero]

GoGreen is right since its more predicated on bigger things like body and chassis and platform.

Powertrains are far more simple than that and easier to move around. Of all things i think its that which often gets produce elsewhere then brought in for install

 

[GoGreen]

GoGreen is right since its more predicated on bigger things like body and chassis and platform.

Powertrains are far more simple than that and easier to move around. Of all things i think its that which often gets produce elsewhere then brought in for install

Very correct. Ford engines get produced at different facilities and brought in to the "vehicle assembly plants"

For example, the Ford Ecoboost 2.0L gets produced in Spain and the Ford Explorer that uses it gets produced in Chicago

 

[WeeSUV]

No matter the reason, the Ecosport cars produced manufacturing facility in Craiova will be built using new robots installed in the Paint, Trim and Chassis, and Body shops. So we should see an improvement in quality with the new model year ecoSport.

 

[GoGreen]

What is the purpose of the new robots and how are they improved? Robots aren't typically the reason for lack of quality as they can literally only do whatever they're told to do via coding and inputs.

 

[Econobox]

Maybe the robots can perform their tasks with greater precision, i.e. welding? Who knows...
What I would like to see out of this new expansion of the hiring of quality control specialists. They're pretty much the last line of defense between us and a lemon for an EcoSport.

 

[GoGreen]

That would be the best thing to possibly do. The more quality control at the end to go through em' the more security that a non-flawed product gets released. Some things may still get through but at least it'll be reduced.

 

[WeeSUV]

It'll be impossible to catch everything with a mass produced model like the Ecosport, but a reduction in body related problems will go a long with with buyer confidence.

 

[workingclasshero]

There are certain types, methods and desired outcomes of welding that is only possible through robots when producing something on a scale similar to what Ford is doing.

How metals react to the heat is one major thing that has to be factored it. It isn't a clean cut process.

 

[GoGreen]

For sure, there is no way they would have actual people welding everything with such a scale.

But there's so many factors that tie in. Heat, cleanliness, speed of movement, how much electricity is used, etc.

 

[WeeSUV]

Paint quality is another aspect that's improved with the installation of new robots. I hate seeing orange peel paint jobs that can sometimes come out from factories.

 

[workingclasshero]

We'll have to see since for all we know some processes might be sped up but at the same time without perfection achieved, so they have to make up for it further down the production line.

But once the paint quality is good enough, that's GOOD ENOUGH. Buying a $20k car my concerns are heavily focused elsewhere.

 

[GoGreen]

You can always expect orange peel from any vehicle that comes from a factory. Lamborginis come out of factory with orange peel. Can't escape that. For a vehicle of this price, you can literally go to a Ford dealership, see what the common quality of the paint is, and expect the exact same thing.