Ford hires Liz Door as chief supply chain officer amid quality woes and cost concerns

Ford hires Liz Door as Chief Supply Chain Officer

Introduction

Ford Motor Co has hired Liz Door, a sourcing executive at Whirlpool, as the company’s Chief Supply Chain Officer. This move comes as Ford looks to reset supplier relations amid quality woes and cost concerns.

Executive Team Changes

Door’s hiring is part of a minor executive team shakeup announced Tuesday by Ford. Two executives are retiring: Kiersten Robinson, General Manager of Family Vehicles and President of Mexico and Canada for Ford Blue, on July 1; and Jonathan Jennings, Vice President of Supply Chain, as of Aug. 1.

Additionally, Dave Bozeman, Head of Ford Blue’s Enthusiast Vehicles and the Ford Customer Service Division, is leaving the company to become CEO of global transportation and logistics company C.H. Robinson next week. And Tim Slatter, formerly Vehicle Line Director for Buses and Vans in Ford of Europe, became Head of Vehicle Programs last week.

New Supply Chain Officer

Door’s appointment takes effect June 12. She will report to CFO John Lawler, who has been handling the supply chain officer duties since September.

“Liz brings deep, relevant domain experience — including leveraging the Internet of Things to create great value for customers — from both outside and inside the global auto industry,” Lawler said in a statement. “That’s an ideal combination for leading a team that’s determined to restore supply chain management as a competitive advantage for Ford.”

Supplier Relations Score Drop

The news follows a Plante Moran study last month showing that Ford’s supplier relations score dropped the most among automakers. The decline partly was attributed to confusion over Ford’s electrification strategy, Plante Moran officials said.

Recalls and Quality Issues

Ford also has led the industry in recalls each of the past two years and struggled with quality issues on some of its most popular nameplates, including the Bronco and F-150 Lightning.

Cost Disadvantage

Executives in recent months have said Ford has a roughly $8 billion cost disadvantage against its rivals and is looking to weed out inefficiencies in how it sources, designs, and builds vehicles. Lawler has said Ford faces $5 billion in higher costs this year and will be “very aggressive” in reducing expenses in its manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution operations.

Experience of Liz Door

Door has served as Whirlpool’s Executive Vice President of Global Strategic Sourcing since 2017. Before that, she led North America Procurement at Whirlpool for more than six years. Door started her career as a resident quality engineer with Prince Corp., working at a Chrysler assembly plant in St. Louis.

“Ford and our suppliers will win together by delivering fresh, high-quality products for our customers,” Door said in Ford’s statement. “We’re going to expand the use of advanced quality planning throughout the supply portfolio.”

Shift in Roles

The automaker said Robinson’s responsibilities will shift to Andrew Frick, Ford Blue’s Vice President of Sales, Distribution, and Trucks. Tim Slatter will report to Jim Baumbick, Ford Blue’s Vice President of Product Development Operations and Quality.

No Replacements Specified

Ford did not specify whether Bozeman’s and Jennings’ roles would be filled.

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