Ford will move hundreds of workers in Louisville, Ky., from Ford Escape production to the Ford Expedition SUV while also reorganizing the factory floor and using 3D printers to quickly replace broken tools. Ford launched an advertising campaign for the Expedition this week that will target college basketball broadcasts and Texas markets, among other buys.
General Electric is cutting costs and restructuring this year as it tries to improve its GE Power unit and return to positive cash flow next year, says CEO Larry Culp Jr. "I think what we'd like to do is make sure that we're playing on offense both organically and inorganically on a more regular basis," he says.
A cyberattack against aluminum producer Norsk Hydro on Monday has caused some automatic operations to be halted or switched to manual control, including in the US. There have been multiple cyberattacks against companies in the metals and minerals supply chain in the past year.
A product lifecycle management transformation, done well, can improve margins and operations, writes Doug Halverson of BackOffice Associates. To get started, organize unstructured data, analyze it with automated tools and apply a metadata schema to the data.
Ford has tested Ekso Bionics' EskoVest exoskeleton and will expand its use, implementing the technology at 15 of its factories. The exoskeleton offers mechanical support for workers performing tasks with their arms.
Falling sales and negative cash flow are symptoms of a company in crisis, not the cause, writes Harry Kraemer. Successful turnarounds, such as Ford's revival under Alan Mulally, are grounded in the realization that values are needed for long-term success. "A values-based approach begins on a personal level with becoming your 'best self.' ... If you don't know yourself, you cannot lead yourself, and if you can't lead yourself, you cannot possibly lead others," Kraemer writes.