copious.abundance wrote:Ford unveils 10-year plan to transform Dearborn campusFord Motor Co. will drastically redevelop its outdated Dearborn properties into a walkable, aesthetically pleasing work environment reminiscent of a college campus or Silicon Valley startup.
Over the next 10 years, the automaker plans to relocate 30,000 employees currently spread throughout 70 Dearborn buildings into two main campuses — a product campus across the street from Oakwood Boulevard and The Henry Ford Museum, and a World Headquarters campus near the Glass House.
The long-term project will include demolishing certain facilities and updating existing ones. Ford will build a new design center and new zero-waste sustainability showcase building, and completely renovate the interior of the Glass House. Early renderings call for basketball courts, softball fields, walkable paths with lakes, flowers and trees, and the ability for employees to move around the campuses using e-bikes, autonomous cars and shuttles.
Well, isn't that special.
Meanwhile, I continue to buy Toyotas over Fords since longevity, durability, reliability, and serviceability are much more important to me than how many fancy walking paths, basketball courts, etc. Ford has on its product campuses.
This reminds me of many U.S. colleges. One of the reasons they're so expensive is the "fabulous" facilities used to attract students. Of course, students at colleges actually interested in seriously getting a good education with an eye toward pursuing a rewarding and competitive career -- should care more about calculus and science than climbing walls, etc.
So many students graduate with some irrelevant degree like in sociology or women's studies, and then wonder why they have trouble getting and keeping a well paying job in a field with a good career path. (But it's so good to know the BERN wants me to pay for the climbing walls for such students
).
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But if your main point is that Ford has money to spend -- sure. So does GM. Big trucks and massive SUV's are great for these company's profit margins. Not so much the climate, improving critical tech to meet future CAFE standards and remain competitive, but it's so 80's to think beyond the next quarterly profit report, I know.
Toyota plans long term, which is why they end up with the tech. I want. Given what they've done with hybrids and the work they're doing on fuel cell cars, it's kind of pitiful that Ford seems more focused on mollifying the UAW than pleasing the customer longer term.
Given the track record of the perma-doomer blogs, I wouldn't bet a fast crash doomer's money on their predictions.