Product Description

An insightful account of the redesigning of the Ford Taurus, chronicling firsthand the clashes between departments at Ford as the new machine takes shape on the assembly line.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1659272 in Books
• Published on: 1997-06-19
• Released on: 1997-06-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

From Amazon.com
A whole book dedicated to the manufacture of a single model of car--and not even a sexy model, such as a Lamborghini or a Rolls Royce, but a Ford Taurus! How interesting could that be? In the hands of talented Mary Walton, it is very interesting indeed. Walton spent more than two years inside the belly of the giant Ford Motor Company researching the manufacture of the 1996 Taurus, and her account makes for surprisingly entertaining reading. Walton, who has written extensively about management theory, brings a perceptive eye and a breezy style to her critique of the automobile industry. In addition to the redesign of Ford's popular model, Walton also examines the sometimes volatile relations between the company's engineering staff and its designers, criticizes Ford's hierarchical management structure, and questions the astounding number of upper-level executives recruited from the military and their resulting martial management style.

The private lives of Ford employees likewise do not escape Walton's critical eye. Twelve-hour days are common among Ford engineers, but the toll on their personal lives is high. So critical is Mary Walton of Ford's management practices that, upon seeing an early draft of Car, Ford revoked Walton's access to its top executives. For a book that provides both solid entertainment and an in-depth analysis of the auto industry, Car is the top of the line.

From Library Journal
For the two-year period when the Ford Motor Co. redesigned its Taurus for the 1996 model year, Philadelphia journalist Walton lived in Dearborn, Michigan. Here she chronicles not only the technical details of this endeavor but the major personalities involved. She delves into Ford's policies and procedures, especially how they affected her story and ability to get information; competition from Toyota and Chrysler; and insights into Ford's management?issues that affected over 700 people involved in the effort. This intriguing, very human story shows the result of teamwork, pride, and skill. Recommended for public libraries.?Steven J. Mayover, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In Deming Management at Work (1986), Walton profiled quality guru W. Edwards Deming and illustrated his principles in action by describing quality programs at various corporations. Walton's continuing interest in quality is in evidence again this time as she concentrates on a single project: the redesign of the Ford Taurus. Allowed complete access by Ford, Walton tracks the work of the team of engineers, planners, accountants, and financial analysts assigned to redesign what already was America's best-selling car. The change was authorized on the assumption that markets were changing and that the Japanese were poised to capitalize on shifting preferences. With the new Taurus a disappointment on Ford's showroom floors, Walton discovered that it is not enough to incorporate quality into a product. Corporate reorganization at Ford, team conflict, a misreading of consumers, cost cutting, and ill-conceived marketing efforts all contributed to the Taurus' lackluster sales. Walton tells her story well, so well that, as she later learned, Ford will no longer allow journalists the sort of access Walton had. David Rouse