Rodeo Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I've never seen anything assembled in Mexico in the same sentence with the word QUALITY. Yet, I hear that the Fusion is a well made car. I don't own one yet but am close to buying within a few months. How is Ford pulling off such a feat when nothing else I am aware of comes out of Mexico with any quality at all??? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfruth Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Good question - my opinion is everyone involved wants a good product, the line workers / material handlers etc might make a little more money + they get to work in a climate controlled building where they get scheduled breaks with cold water - middle management wants to keep warranty claims down & quality up so the powers that be at FoMoCo will be pleased & send even more business their way, the Mexican government must love all the tax revenue, being able to point to all the job opportunities - no one wants this dream to end. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnyvet Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I've never seen anything assembled in Mexico in the same sentence with the word QUALITY.Yet, I hear that the Fusion is a well made car. I don't own one yet but am close to buying within a few months. How is Ford pulling off such a feat when nothing else I am aware of comes out of Mexico with any quality at all??? That's not entirely true. I went there and ate a ton of burrito's, fresh off of the assembly line, and they were absolutely delicious. :hysterical2: Plus some of the alcohol beverages that are produced there are well-made. Seriously, you bring up a great question. Wouldn't it be interesting if there was an infomercial or a recorded presentation that was available (and factual) about the production process, I mean, inquiring minds would love to know. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrymal Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 That location of Mexico is a high-tech manufacturing region, used by many companies, having done so for years. Actually, I don't think many folks north of the border realize how many of the products they use are actually manufactured in Mexico---once you get past the Chinese goods. I'll admit, it would be nice to experience high-quality 100% American-made goods, but I haven't seen any in several years. I challenge anyone to find a new American-made bread toaster and list the brand and model # here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfruth Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I found this while surfing high-tech 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010SEL Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 ...I challenge anyone to find a new American-made bread toaster and list the brand and model # here. On the other hand, I challenge anyone to find a new Mexican-made jet engine and list the brand and model # here. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrymal Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 On the other hand, I challenge anyone to find a new Mexican-made jet engine and list the brand and model # here. Hrrrrmmmm. I think I'd rather use even a Chinese toaster to do my bread. That jet engine has got to be a bit much... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichM17 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 There putting out a quality car because they are using quality parts. Mexico has nothing really do to with it, alot of the parts ie the transmission and engine are assemble in the united states. Ford really has gone back to the drawling board with there whole entire company, the quality is much higher and when you sit behind any of there cars you can feel it, it feels different then alot of other cars. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodeo Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 There putting out a quality car because they are using quality parts. Mexico has nothing really do to with it, alot of the parts ie the transmission and engine are assemble in the united states. Ford really has gone back to the drawling board with there whole entire company, the quality is much higher and when you sit behind any of there cars you can feel it, it feels different then alot of other cars. The only "feeling" I get is that you are a FORD Employee! Gimme a break! The last item I bought assembled in mexico was an air compressor for my garage. What garbage it was. I returened it and that in itself was a chore since it had to ship motor freight. Quality parts and components or not, I have yet to actually see quality labor come out of Mexico. I have yet to scrutinize a Fusion but I am skeptical at best that there will not be flaws due to the port of entry. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I have yet to scrutinize a Fusion but I am skeptical at best that there will not be flaws due to the port of entry. And all this time I thought we shared a land border with Mexico......... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodeo Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 And all this time I thought we shared a land border with Mexico......... Yea but that land border is so "open" and fluid that it flows just like a port of entry. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I used to work for a electronics supplier that shipped the exact same part to Hermosillo and to the Ford plant in Michigan that built the same model. Our warranty returns on the SAME part were 5 times higher from the cars built in Michigan. Hermosillo is Ford's highest quality plant in North America, period. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichM17 Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I used to work for a electronics supplier that shipped the exact same part to Hermosillo and to the Ford plant in Michigan that built the same model. Our warranty returns on the SAME part were 5 times higher from the cars built in Michigan. Hermosillo is Ford's highest quality plant in North America, period. Just out of my own curiosity, what part were you supplying at the time you worked there? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartman1 Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I've never seen anything assembled in Mexico in the same sentence with the word QUALITY.Yet, I hear that the Fusion is a well made car. I don't own one yet but am close to buying within a few months. How is Ford pulling off such a feat when nothing else I am aware of comes out of Mexico with any quality at all??? I have spent a fair amount of time in Mexico on business. Despite the popular image (which unfortunately is racial bias), there are just as high a percentage of dedicated, hard-working people in Mexico as there are in the US. Working in a Ford plant is probably at the upper end of the job opportunities as far as pay and working conditions go. Therefore, Ford gets to hire the best educated, best trained, and most dedicated of the available labor pool. The Ford plant in Hermisillo (sp?) is Ford's highest quality plant in North America. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcsgrp35se Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I spent a lot of time in Mexico with the x-inlaws family since the early 70's. The two things the very much impressed me were the quality of the cars, no matter what brand, renault, vw, ford etc that were made in mexico. They were tight, and really seemed to last. The other thing I was impressed with was the quality of the tires. I don't know what the roads are now but back then they were really bad for tires. I heard stories about people from the US driving in Mexico and the tires were torn apart and when they put on mexican tires and went back to the states they lasted forever. I think the point was made in earlier posts, there are a lot of very qualified and good workers in Mexico. One of my x-relatives went to Cal Tech and another to Stanford and went back to mexico working for large american companies who were manufacturing in Mexico and they were always looking for ways to be the best and said the employees always took pride in the work. They also mentioned, based on the pay they were gettting there were always a few people ready for any job opening. I guess the old saying about swimming in shark infested waters holds, you don't have to be a great swimmer, just better then someone else. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_America Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 The only "feeling" I get is that you are a FORD Employee! Gimme a break! The last item I bought assembled in mexico was an air compressor for my garage. What garbage it was. I returened it and that in itself was a chore since it had to ship motor freight. Quality parts and components or not, I have yet to actually see quality labor come out of Mexico. I have yet to scrutinize a Fusion but I am skeptical at best that there will not be flaws due to the port of entry. The key word here is assembly. Assembling a car, or really installing a part and tightening a bolt doesn't require too much skill. More hard work and dedication. I'm pretty sure your air compressor wasn't manufactured under the same management or production engineers Ford has. That's a poor comparison. I have a new Fusion built at Hermosillo and I would compare it to the Audi A4 I just sold. The differences have nothing to do with assembly. If a part is not as robust as an Audi part it was due to intentional corner cutting on materials (interior plastic). You could never expect a $20,000 car to equal a $40,000 car, but this one comes damn close. A lot closer than a $20,000 difference. Go try the green eggs and ham, you will like them -Not a Ford Employee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyoct Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Probably has alot to do with pulling the vehicle from a Mazda designed/engineered platform. Ford then added their parts and as they say "de-contenting" and "material cost reduction" measures to develop a solid competitor. Is it a Camry or Accord, not quite, but can it get there, I certainly think so. -Not a Ford employee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acdii Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Fusion is built by non union workers, so of course quality will be hire, they care about the work they do since it would mean their job if they screw it up. Here in the US, Union workers could care less about the quality of work they do, they get a pay check whether they tighten the bolt correctly or just let it hang there. I have worked with several Mexicans, they are very hard working people, earn every penny they make, so it doesn't bother me one bit that the car was built in Mexico. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010SEL Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 ...Here in the US, Union workers could care less about the quality of work they do... Baloney. I work with Union people all day long. Here the workers care more about quality than their non-union supervisors! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackenedFusion Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 For Ford cars you can tell where its built by the first number in the VIN. #1 is America #2 is Canada #3 is Mexico Anything to save a buck. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acdii Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Baloney. I work with Union people all day long. Here the workers care more about quality than their non-union supervisors! Ha Ha Ha so have I, in Chicago, all they care about is the beer they are going to drink when its time to go home. Hang around McCormick place during a show setup, they get to it when they feel like it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Ha Ha Ha so have I, in Chicago, all they care about is the beer they are going to drink when its time to go home. Hang around McCormick place during a show setup, they get to it when they feel like it. There are good union workers and bad union workers, just like every other business. The problem is (and I have witnessed this first hand working with union employees for 23 years and my wife was in a union job for the first 15 years of her career) that the union contract and work environment makes it FAR easier for employees to goof off and the contract protects them and the union protects them. A friend of mine had a grievance filed against him while he was working a union job running a copy machine (by his co-workers). He was supposed to start work at 7:30 so he would come in at 7:25, hit the on switch, go get coffee and by the time he got back at 7:30 it was ready to go. They claimed he was working outside scheduled hours and that he should wait until 7:30 to hit the switch and go get coffee. You can't make this stuff up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbabe Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 On the other hand, I challenge anyone to find a new Mexican-made jet engine and list the brand and model # here. There are a number of major aircraft components assembled now in Mexico to very good quality. Don't know about jet engines, but it could be just a matter of time. (I am not a Ford employee - I am in the aerospace business) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acdii Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 There are good union workers and bad union workers, just like every other business. The problem is (and I have witnessed this first hand working with union employees for 23 years and my wife was in a union job for the first 15 years of her career) that the union contract and work environment makes it FAR easier for employees to goof off and the contract protects them and the union protects them. A friend of mine had a grievance filed against him while he was working a union job running a copy machine (by his co-workers). He was supposed to start work at 7:30 so he would come in at 7:25, hit the on switch, go get coffee and by the time he got back at 7:30 it was ready to go. They claimed he was working outside scheduled hours and that he should wait until 7:30 to hit the switch and go get coffee. You can't make this stuff up. And right there is the point I was making. Union workers don't have to fear that their job is on the line if they don't do it just right, whereas non union workers know they can be replaced easily enough, so they do a better job at it. I have worked in a union shop, and watched how they just went about their work in a lazy fashion. Eventually that company closed down due to losing contracts that they couldnt price out competitively. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garsarno Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Reminds me of the joke Rodney Dangerfield told years ago: He turned on the radio in his Toyota - could not understand a word. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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