Ford Testing Transformation Speeds Product Development, Quality Gains On Full Vehicle Line

Ford Testing Transformation Speeds Product Development, Quality Gains On Full Vehicle Line

A multi-million dollar investment has transformed the basement of a seemingly non-descript Ford engineering facility into a technological showcase featuring robots abusing seats, a tire-squealing conveyer belt and an eight-foot chamber that houses brake testing that used to occur on the streets of Los Angeles.

Ford continues overhauling its testing facilities to speed up development of products that customers want while further fueling the company’s rapid quality gains.

Quality improvements brought to life through the “Tough Testing” facility are evident across many models, including newly launched products such as the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKZ, and symbolize how Ford is standardizing test processes further upstream in the development process with real-world customer input.

The quality results are showing up across the board, including in new products at launch, initial quality results generally measured at three months in service and longer-term quality studies measured at three years and beyond.

The changes also help to reduce the number of prototype vehicles needed throughout the product development process.

“Ford is leading the industry in quality gains in part because of our systematic approach we take on testing,” says Judy Curran, director, Ford Global Test Operations. “Walk through our halls, and you’ll see virtually every component of a vehicle going through tortuous durability testing.”

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