Suppliers

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

Beginning in 2005, we introduced an Aligned Business Framework (ABF) with our strategic suppliers to accomplish these goals. In 2009 and early 2010, we expanded the ABF, adding new members to our select group of key component and service suppliers that we have chosen for long-term relationships and closer collaboration. With the new members, there are now 90 companies in the ABF network, including 67 production and 23 non-production suppliers from around the world. (Minority- and women-owned suppliers make up nearly 15 percent of the ABF network.)

We are committed to maintaining strong relationships with our ABF and other suppliers by:

• Adhering to Ford Supplier Relationship Values
• Deploying a single global product-creation process that combines aggressive execution of product plans with minimal variances
• Enhancing process stability, commonality and reusability
• Improving communication by providing real-time performance data to the supply base
• Providing suppliers with greater access to senior Ford managers in small-group settings
• Establishing organizational stability models in Manufacturing, Product Development and Purchasing
• Improving order fulfillment
• Engaging the supply base in discussions about process stability, incoming quality and corporate citizenship, and involving suppliers in coalitions to create awareness of industry issues

It is important that our suppliers share our commitment to environmental and social performance. We have developed programs and partnerships to help align our suppliers' practices with our own.