Automotive News Canada - June 2018 - 14

14

* JUNE 2018

Ford's Hinrichs says fire showed suppliers' grit

Parts makers pulled together to restart
F-150 production after blaze at Meridian
Magnesium Products of America
WINDSOR, ONT. - FORD
Motor Co., executive Joe
Hinrichs used his keynote
address at a recent gathering
of Canada's parts makers to
thank them for their role in
the "miraculous" recovery
of F-series production, temporarily halted in May by an
explosion at a Michigan supplier.

Fortune 100 company; revenue from F series is bigger
than Coca-Cola or Nike. So,
it's a big deal."
Ford's global supply chain
stepped up, he said, adding that the company even
moved moulding machines
from Michigan to the United
Kingdom.
The blaze also temporarily hampered production at Ford's two Canadian
engine plants as well as Fiat
Chrysler's minivan assembly
facility in Windsor.
The automaker resumed

"When we had the fire/
explosion at Meridian . . .
and it shut down all of our
F-series business, it hurt
a lot," Hinrichs, president
of global operations, said
at the Automotive Parts
Manufactures' Association's
annual meeting here June 6.
"The F-series business in
North America, alone, is a

Joe Hinrichs, Ford's head
of global operations, says
suppliers helped Ford recover
from the loss of production of
its most-profitable product.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

New TADA site
lets customers
share stories

SAVE THE DATE!

It also helps
dealers learn about
their lifestyles

CT
O

By PERRY LEFKO

TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

30

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production of its most-profitable brand nine days
after the blaze at Meridian
Magnesium Products of
America.
The crisis, said Hinrichs,
was a reminder of the company's responsibility to build
strong relationships with
suppliers.
"We're always going to
be talking about efficiency,
technology etc., but we can
all win by working together,"
he said.
"Thank you for everything you do." - ANC

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THE TRILLIUM
Automobile Dealers
Association (TADA) launched
a website - AutoLife.ca -
to provide consumers with
ways to learn and share their
experiences with automobiles and, in turn, help the
industry learn about drivers
and their lifestyles. TADA
serves hundreds of dealers in
Ontario.
AutoLife.ca is an idea
conceived by Dave McLean,
marketing director of the
Canadian International Auto
Show. He said the site will be
unlike anything else because
it will keep consumers
engaged in the interest of the
automobile in a way that's
more than just about buying
and selling cars and purchasing insurance.
"It's not just about cars,
it's about people and what
they do with cars and their
lifestyle," McLean told
Automotive News Canada. "It
means how many ways does
that automobile touch your
life and how many ways do
you experience things in life
using an automobile.
The website will provide
original content, aggregate
stories and interests from
other sources and encourage
consumers to provide their
own stories.
TADA Executive Director
Todd Bourgon said AutoLife.
ca will remain a stand-alone
brand, but will have a connection to the AutoShow.ca.
"It's to give consumers
a different experience that
they can source on their own
time 11-and-a-half months
of the year," he said. "The
AutoShow is a completely different product than this is.
We can't pretend that one is
going to replace the other. It
won't and it shouldn't and
that's not the intent." - ANC
http://www.AutoLife.ca http://www.AutoLife.ca http://www.AutoShow.ca http://www.autonews.com/LeadingWomen
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - June 2018
