Supply Chain

Our suppliers are critical allies in our success.

The automotive supply chain is one of the most complicated of any industry. Automakers like us rely on thousands of suppliers to provide the materials, parts and services necessary to make our final products. (See Supply Chain Profile.) Many suppliers serve numerous automakers, and each of those suppliers, in turn, has multiple suppliers. There are often six to 10 levels of suppliers between an automaker and the source of raw materials that eventually enter the manufacturing process. The breadth, depth and interconnectedness of the automotive supply chain make it challenging to effectively manage business and sustainability issues.

In today’s economic environment, achieving lower costs, improving quality and meeting sustainability goals require an unprecedented level of cooperation with suppliers, as well as strong supplier relationships. Ford and its suppliers must work jointly to deliver great products, have a strong business and make a better future.

This section describes our overall approach to developing a sustainable supply chain, including building strong relationships with our suppliers, developing supplier capability to manage sustainability issues, and collaborating with others in our industry on supply chain sustainability. It also describes our efforts to:

More than 80 percent of Ford’s strategic production suppliers have a robust code of conduct aligned with Ford’s Code.

Sustainable Raw Materials

Sustainable Raw Materials

We are leading industry-wide efforts to support supply chain sustainability and eliminate conflict minerals in our supply chain.

Assessing Supplier Emissions

Assessing Supplier Emissions

In 2012, we expanded our supplier greenhouse gas emissions survey to 135 suppliers.

Fast track to data

Downloads

Download Summary Report

Ford’s 2012/13 Sustainability Report is summarized in this 8-page downloadable document.

Visit our Downloads page for this report in full or as separate sections along with supplementary publications.