Press Release

Ford's Computer Power Tops All Commercial Companies

08/30/96

Ford Leads All Commercial Companies in Computer Power


DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 28 -- Ford Motor Company
has enough computer power to make a C.P.A. green with envy.

"We have the power to compute the returns of every U.S. taxpayer in
less than 30 minutes -- regardless of what the Republicans and
Democrats may do," Dr. Howard Crabb, Ford's manager for Advanced
Computer-Aided Engineering, said during a seminar held today. "That's
something no other commercial company in the world can say," he added.

Through several demonstrations at a Global Computer Seminar, Ford
showed how its enormous computing power reduces cost, improves quality
and increases the speed of the product development process.

As an example, Dr. Crabb cited improvements made by using computer
technology in designing a steering column. The cost was reduced by $7
per vehicle; the time to produce the steering column improved from 14
months to eight weeks; and quality was enhanced by the elimination of
vibration.

Other computer-related information outlined during the seminar
included:

* The electrical power used by Ford's computers in a day could provide
the electricity for 130 homes for a day.

* Calculations for a frontal crash simulation require the following
time human with paper and pencil (68 million years), human with
hand-held calculator (670 centuries), personal computer (15 weeks) and
new 16 Processor Triton supercomputer (15 minutes).

* In 1985, the cost of a frontal crash simulation was $60,000. Today,
by using a computer it costs $200. By 2001, a crash simulation on a
computer will cost less than $10.

* The growth of supercomputer power at Ford, as measured in terms of
equivalent Cray C90 CPUs, is: two in 1990, 18 in 1993, 115 in 1996 and
projected to be 1,573 in 2000.

* Starting with a clean sheet of paper to create a clay model used to
take a dozen people 12 weeks. Today one designer can go from an idea
on a computer screen to a fully-animated video of a car or truck
design in three weeks.

* Ford will use a single, high tech computer "language" (called C3P)
to design, engineer and manufacture vehicles around the world by 1999.

* Ford's goal is to eliminate 90 percent of all the physical
prototypes used today by the year 2000.

During the seminar, computer demonstrations were given at the
Corporate Design Studio, the Advanced Engineering Center and the
Engineering Computer Center. Claude Lobo, director of Advanced Design;
Richard Riff, manager of the C3P Project Office; and Richard Radtke,
manager of Advanced Vehicle and Computer Aided Engineering, made
presentations. The seminar concluded with a tour of Ford's
supercomputer area which includes three Cray C90s, one Cray J90, one
Convex Examplar, one Triton T90, two MASPARs and one SGI Power
Challenge 18.