Ford media coverage today - Thur 15th Nov 2012

[mik]

you have to wonder how much damage is done/has been done to companies and even countries by poor media reporting, these boofheads retoric reach a lot of population and some of the populous believe their word without question sadly.
kudos to ford oz for trying to do the right thing regardless of the some of the media reports.

[whiskieboy]

Well as someone how has just been through the "experience" this morning, I must commend the Managers etc. on how the whole thing was handled, it was quick painless and done with a great deal of respect and compassion, there was even counsellors etc. on hand for those that needed them.
Yesterday was a looooong day in the plant just waiting for today and not knowing who we will see on Monday morning, but its all over and I get to continue on my journey, 35yrs and 1 week and counting.

[GTP-814]

our thoughts are with our production mates

[buggerlugs]

http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...-1226518039673
Joe Hockey not wanting to buy Australian cars either. Some interesting comments at the bottom of the page to............

[XWGT]

Sinead are you able to state the total movement in FTE position in Australia for Ford over the last 12 months?

My understanding was that the R&D numbers have been increased significantly and that the net FTE numbers may actually be up not down?

As for Joe Hockeys statement, someone really needs to remind these people who they actually represent and do the bidding of. Complete numpty.

[Road_Warrior]

[QUOTE=buggerlugs;4520000 Some interesting comments at the bottom of the page to............[/QUOTE]

You mean this one?

Ford has said it has been unable to rely on the domestic market while the high Australian dollar was making exports less competitive.

"Ford" didnt say anything of the sort, it was the Union rep interviewed by the ABC outside the plant this morning that said words to this effect. Talk about being loose with the truth.

[Falcman0o7]

Poor buggers, All the best to them and ford.
Something else for the media to crap on about and twist around!

[mik]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

http://www.news.com.au/business/comp...-1226518039673
Joe Hockey not wanting to buy Australian cars either. Some interesting comments at the bottom of the page to............

no wonder we need a Carbon Tax with all the hot air coming out of these politicians

[bmorris]

A couple of points I would like to add to this thread.

Firstly, it is always sad to hear about Australians losing their jobs, it’s not something you ever want to see happen however the world is changing and as much as many of us on here wish it wasn't there is nothing we can really do about it. Building different, better selling models in Australia clearly does not make business sense for Ford (or GM for that matter).

Secondly, it is really good to see FORD PR on this board talking with its members and helping to keep the facts straight. This has been needed for a long time.

Thirdly, tariffs are not coming back. This is another fact of life that needs to be accepted. The current government is the closest main stream party in Australia to be likely to install tariffs; however they themselves said they support free trade so this isn't going to happen.

I also find it interesting that a lot of people on here are happy to lay the boot into Joe Hockey for his statement on www.news.com.au. What he should of said is "the ‘majority’ of Australians don’t like Australian cars", which would be correct. If it wasn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. This is due to the changing tastes of Australian buyers, not the fault of Ford or its workers. He is also sticking to the values of his party who don’t support protectionism which is more than what could be said about a lot of other pollys right now.

At the end of the day it is the consumers who choose what sells and no amount of government money is going to make all Australians buy Australian made cars. This is the reality of the situation.


PS: I drive a Australian made car and if possible my next car will be Australian made. This does not mean I believe all people should be forced to do the same.

[swp123]

Its a shame that more government departments aren't looking toward puchasing Australian made vehicles as their first option.

[Joe5619]

All the best to those 212 people who are now out of work. We all hope you find something new very soon.

Thanks for building the best Australian build car we have ever seen in Australian!!

[Thunder]

Interesting hearing Joe Hockey saying our Local car companies are slow in developing "efficient" cars. Also interesting was reading how a Liberal Government may question the current governments automotive handouts. How long ago did the Australian government introduce LPG vehicle concessions and which political party was in power at that time?

I am a traditional Liberal suppoter, i agree with the fundamentals of Hockeys' statements, but his approach does more harm than necessary.

Majority of Australians dont buy Australian cars, true. Personally i think that the majority of Australians are sheep! They research their purchase based on "value for money" but leave out "value" on insurance premiums, servicing, spare parts and quality.

[Nikked]

Joe Hockeys' Email adress?


I want to send him a letter

[BroadyFord]

Ford hopes to hold workforce at 2900


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257AB8001B3640

16 November 2012

By RON HAMMERTON

FORD Australia says it does not envisage further retrenchments at its Victorian factories, as long as sales rates for its home-grown vehicles do not slip further.

The company’s workforce was reduced by 330 today, including 212 forced redundancies, cutting the payroll numbers to 2900 at the company’s major sites at Broadmeadows and Geelong.

The daily production rate has been scaled back from 209 vehicles a day to 148, which Ford says is in line with its anticipated sales rates for the foreseeable future.

Ford Australia public affairs director Sinead Phipps said: “We have realigned production to where we think demand will be, not just for this year but next year as well.

“So we have our production numbers and employee numbers where we think they need to be, but we will need to keep monitoring the market as well.

“If the market does something different, including if it starts to go back up for large cars, we might need to do something different.

“But at this stage we have set the employee numbers where they think they need to be to match production.”

Ms Phipps said the painful process had been completed as smoothly as possible at the factories. Media representatives stationed themselves outside the premises today as workers entered to hear their fate in private meetings with managers.

Car production was shut for the day to allow for the process behind closed doors in an effort to minimise the public scrutiny on what Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano described as a “very difficult day for all Ford employees”.

“Although we have taken every possible step to find redeployment opportunities within other areas of our business and offered redundancies on a voluntary basis first, it has proven necessary to implement compulsory redundancies as well,” he said.

“As difficult as it is, this action is necessary to ensure that our business is structured appropriately to align with our demand levels and is aimed at ensuring we remain as efficient as possible and continue to provide secure employment for our remaining 2900 employees.

“We appreciate and thank our team members who have all handled themselves impeccably throughout the day and respected the process we have implemented to try and manage it as best we can.

“We will follow up with our departing team members to ensure they have access to all of the support facilities we are providing to assist them to find alternative employment.”

Federal opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey was quoted by AAP today as saying the job losses at Ford were proof that protectionism was “not the answer” to car manufacturers’ problems.

Mr Hockey reportedly reaffirmed that a Coalition federal government would do away with subsidies to Australia’s car-makers.

“People are not buying Australian-made cars because they don't want to buy Australian-made cars, and the cars are not meeting their demands as consumers,'' AAP reports him as saying.

''The government gave $34 million to Ford in January this year, the prime minister said this is going to create an extra 300 jobs, (now) 340 jobs have gone.''

Ford Falcon sedan sales are down 26.2 per cent this year, averaging just 1100 vehicles a month.

About 15 years ago, the Falcon averaged more than 6000 sales a month.

Ford had hoped the arrival of a fuel-efficient four-cylinder EcoBoost variant this year would help to stem the sales decline, but despite rave reviews for the new car, it has not been embraced by buyers.

One bright spot for Ford has been sales of its Falcon-based Territory SUV, sales of which are up 16 per cent this year after a facelift and addition of a diesel-powered variant last year.

[Nikked]

Pretty handy that Ford are cutting workforce...


While the NSW government slashes 700 rail jobs...

[Oldbugger]

Have driven Fords all my life and worked in the industry for 40 years. Proud of the blue oval and happy to say "I work for Ford, I drive a Ford"

[MITCHAY]

I wish those employees all the best with finding suitable employment elsewhere.

I've been made redundant before and it can be hard when you know you do everything right and sometimes that ain't enough.

It turned out to be for the better so hopefully the same happens for those people.

Unfortunately Hockey is pretty much spot on. Want and can afford simply doesn't seem to go with Falcon or Commodore these days.

Sales figures say it all and despite becoming much better cars they simply can't sell them.

[pottery beige]

joe hockey needs to lay off the hamburgers n chips.. eat some salad..

[4DBOSS]

sad day really, hope they dont go further

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Ford hopes to hold workforce at 2900


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257AB8001B3640

16 November 2012

By RON HAMMERTON

FORD Australia says it does not envisage further retrenchments at its Victorian factories, as long as sales rates for its home-grown vehicles do not slip further.

So........ This is where it's at
People are still buying new cars....the issue is the decline of Ford specific sales.
Have Ford been surveying their customers or potential customers to find out why....specifically. Surely you need to do this in order to have an idea about what products you need to be building / importing that suits the local market / demographic ?

If its the fact that most people want small 4 cylinder cars.....why isn't there more of the Focus on the road ?

Methinks people may have moved on from the Ford brand more than anything else.....

Feel sorry for all those affected by the retrenchments ..... Have been in this poistion once and I know what it's like.....especially getting the news around Christmas time.

[JC]

Originally Posted by Sinead Phipps

Thanks for the input and feedback. Rest assured that wherever we see inaccuracies or over sensationalising, we are correcting with facts. What ends up being used isn't up to us however. I do think that the majority of the reporting this time around (with some obvious exceptions noted above) has been pretty balanced and respectful. No matter what we say or how we do it, it's a sad day for our employees and all we can do is try and get through it in the best possible way and give the best possible support to those who are leaving - and then try and get the majority of people who are staying fired up and back on track on Monday morning. There's going to be a significant period of adjustment for those remaining as well.

What gets me is that the media makes such a big deal about this, and yet I work for a commonwealth dept that has shed 300 odd this year through VRs and a no replacement policy as people leave, with another 150 or so to go this year, and maybe half as many (225) again next year. And this is one govt department out of all the ones that have to shed because the government decided that they need a surplus with an election around the corner.

[JC]

Every other selling is offering 0 to 2% finance on cars; if Ford did the same, their sales would pick up. 0% on Oz made, up to 2% on imported would get sales for the local product I reckon. Toyota charge a flat $1200 fee on top of purchase price for a 1.9% rate finance package on a RAV4 we were looking at, which makes the interest rate over 4 years more like 3.5% but how cheap is that!? In the current climate, low interest rates are required to kick start sales, or to increase sales, and by offering lower rate on locally made, wouldn't that make sense?

Originally Posted by BroadyFord

Ford hopes to hold workforce at 2900


http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257AB8001B3640

16 November 2012

By RON HAMMERTON

FORD Australia says it does not envisage further retrenchments at its Victorian factories, as long as sales rates for its home-grown vehicles do not slip further.

The company’s workforce was reduced by 330 today, including 212 forced redundancies, cutting the payroll numbers to 2900 at the company’s major sites at Broadmeadows and Geelong.

The daily production rate has been scaled back from 209 vehicles a day to 148, which Ford says is in line with its anticipated sales rates for the foreseeable future.

Ford Australia public affairs director Sinead Phipps said: “We have realigned production to where we think demand will be, not just for this year but next year as well.

“So we have our production numbers and employee numbers where we think they need to be, but we will need to keep monitoring the market as well.

“If the market does something different, including if it starts to go back up for large cars, we might need to do something different.

“But at this stage we have set the employee numbers where they think they need to be to match production.”

Ms Phipps said the painful process had been completed as smoothly as possible at the factories. Media representatives stationed themselves outside the premises today as workers entered to hear their fate in private meetings with managers.

Car production was shut for the day to allow for the process behind closed doors in an effort to minimise the public scrutiny on what Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano described as a “very difficult day for all Ford employees”.

“Although we have taken every possible step to find redeployment opportunities within other areas of our business and offered redundancies on a voluntary basis first, it has proven necessary to implement compulsory redundancies as well,” he said.

“As difficult as it is, this action is necessary to ensure that our business is structured appropriately to align with our demand levels and is aimed at ensuring we remain as efficient as possible and continue to provide secure employment for our remaining 2900 employees.

“We appreciate and thank our team members who have all handled themselves impeccably throughout the day and respected the process we have implemented to try and manage it as best we can.

“We will follow up with our departing team members to ensure they have access to all of the support facilities we are providing to assist them to find alternative employment.”

Federal opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey was quoted by AAP today as saying the job losses at Ford were proof that protectionism was “not the answer” to car manufacturers’ problems.

Mr Hockey reportedly reaffirmed that a Coalition federal government would do away with subsidies to Australia’s car-makers.

“People are not buying Australian-made cars because they don't want to buy Australian-made cars, and the cars are not meeting their demands as consumers,'' AAP reports him as saying.

''The government gave $34 million to Ford in January this year, the prime minister said this is going to create an extra 300 jobs, (now) 340 jobs have gone.''

Ford Falcon sedan sales are down 26.2 per cent this year, averaging just 1100 vehicles a month.

About 15 years ago, the Falcon averaged more than 6000 sales a month.

Ford had hoped the arrival of a fuel-efficient four-cylinder EcoBoost variant this year would help to stem the sales decline, but despite rave reviews for the new car, it has not been embraced by buyers.

One bright spot for Ford has been sales of its Falcon-based Territory SUV, sales of which are up 16 per cent this year after a facelift and addition of a diesel-powered variant last year.

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by JC

Every other selling is offering 0 to 2% finance on cars; if Ford did the same, their sales would pick up. 0% on Oz made, up to 2% on imported would get sales for the local product I reckon. Toyota charge a flat $1200 fee on top of purchase price for a 1.9% rate finance package on a RAV4 we were looking at, which makes the interest rate over 4 years more like 3.5% but how cheap is that!? In the current climate, low interest rates are required to kick start sales, or to increase sales, and by offering lower rate on locally made, wouldn't that make sense?

It would make sense if people wanted to buy a Ford in the 1st place. I just don't think the Ford product is appealing anymore. Maybe it's the styling / the drab image / the big car Falcon taxi stigma.....who knows. As I stated earlier.... I see plenty of new cars on the road and not many seem to be Fords. Plenty of Hyundai élantras / Subaru imprezas / stacks of VW golfs and way too many Holden Cruze sedans and hatches. Hardly any mondeos or focus's ?

People are spending their money......it's just not with Ford at the moment.
The demand for new cars is there.....Ford need to get creative and Funky

[stang65]

What Joe hockey should have said is a lot of Australian s are doing it tuff because the politicians keep screwing us so all they can afford is cheap overseas imports.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by ESP

It would make sense if people wanted to buy a Ford in the 1st place. I just don't think the Ford product is appealing anymore. Maybe it's the styling / the drab image / the big car Falcon taxi stigma.....who knows. As I stated earlier.... I see plenty of new cars on the road and not many seem to be Fords. Plenty of Hyundai élantras / Subaru imprezas / stacks of VW golfs and way too many Holden Cruze sedans and hatches. Hardly any mondeos or focus's ?

People are spending their money......it's just not with Ford at the moment.
The demand for new cars is there.....Ford need to get creative and Funky

Can we leave the 110 different Ford bashing theories out of this topic? I think you’ll find many other topics to post your theories.. Let's respect those who have lost their job today in this topic.

[Terry Turbo]

The sad facts are that no-one is going to buy an Ecoboost Falcon if they do not know it exists!

Ford need to promote the Falcon, but they don't seem to want to.

We see Focus ads, Fiesta ads and I am getting bloody sick of the Ranger ads.

I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE AD FOR THE I4 FALCON!!!

[SpoolMan]

Guys the thread is branching in to many different Ford topics, I suggest starting threads relative to your subject point and we should leave the politics out of this thread.
Back to topic, the work force at Ford.

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

Can we leave the 110 different Ford bashing theories out of this topic? I think you’ll find many other topics to post your theories.. Let's respect those who have lost their job today in this topic.

Theories ?
I thought it was obvious. People aren't buying Fords - hence the Ford workforce needs to be adjusted accordingly. Is there another reason that this reduction is taking place ?

Its not being disrespectful to those who have lost their jobs .....I've been in a similar position and have empathy. I made no disrespectful comments or assumptions.

[xr8territory]

I feel heart-broken for the workers and their families who have lost their livelihoods today.
I hope all trolls will have a day off and let all genuine Ford enthusiasts of this site discuss todays events without derisive and inflammatory commentary.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by whiskieboy

Well as someone how has just been through the "experience" this morning, I must commend the Managers etc. on how the whole thing was handled, it was quick painless and done with a great deal of respect and compassion, there was even counsellors etc. on hand for those that needed them.
Yesterday was a looooong day in the plant just waiting for today and not knowing who we will see on Monday morning, but its all over and I get to continue on my journey, 35yrs and 1 week and counting.

Same here. At least they learnt from what Toyota did which was nothing short of discgraceful, dragging workers off the lione in front of fellow workers, told to pack their stuff and shovelled out the door by security, then past the media to a conference centre across the road. Very poor. I didn't even see any media which I was thankful for, although i'm sure they were there at some point.

Luckily i'll be back on Monday too.