Ken Macfarlane is vice president of Manufacturing for Ford of Europe and also is a Ford Motor Company vice president. He is responsible for the operations of 21 assembly, stamping and powertrain plants in Europe.
Before joining Ford of Europe, Macfarlane was the director of Truck Manufacturing Operations with Ford Motor Company in North America. In this role, he was responsible for the manufacturing, quality and launch of Ford trucks and SUVs produced at five assembly plants, including the launch of the 2009 Ford F-150, the 2008 Super Duty and 2008 Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner.
From March 2000 to December 2001, Macfarlane was involved with launch Ford’s full-size cars built in Chicago and was responsible for the development and launch of the Chicago Manufacturing campus, the industry’s first supplier park in North America. He also spent time implementing the Ford Production System which is deployed globally and standardize Ford’s manufacturing processes.
Macfarlane has spent his career in a number of engineering, quality and manufacturing positions, including overseeing manufacturing sites and operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Asia Pacific. In addition to assignments in Vehicle Operations, he has held a number of management positions at Automotive Components Holding (ACH) and Visteon.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Macfarlane joined Ford Motor Company in 1973 after spending a year as an engineering consultant. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1971 and 1972, respectively.
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November 20, 2008