Solving new problems every day in a fast-paced manufacturing environment has taught Neil a lot about automatic transmissions, and the global business has been a window into other cultures and personalities.
“When I think about the Ford family, I consider how many benefits there are to working at Ford. The company really seems to take care of its employees as if they are all relatives.”
Supply chain work can be incredibly difficult due to the sheer number of parts involved, but Neil is even more impressed with how many jobs are created by transmission production. To him, the number of pieces in a transmission is tiny compared to the number of people necessary for a successful transmission launch.
Through his work, Neil has come to appreciate the direct link between Ford’s manufacturing capacities and the well-being of economies and individuals around the world. From working across multiple countries at once and tracking hundreds of parts at any given moment, he has realized that more than anything, it takes quality communication with other people to get things done.
When he’s not on the job, Neil is a hobbyist with a serious interest in restoring classic cars. But his wealth of knowledge about modern quality and technology standards makes his tinkering all the more interesting. When he’s working on cars, Neil can see the amazing advances the auto industry has made in manufacturing processes, even over the last 20 years.
Neil is now a site Supplier Technical Assistant working to ensure supplier quality for a few casting and powder metal suppliers. As a part of this role, he visits supplier facilities to learn how the parts are made.
While at Ford, Neil has also taken a 1-year sabbatical to ride his bike across the country (Detroit to Houston as well as Detroit to Washington, D.C.) and build a car from the ground up.