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Ford Engineers Study Government Technologies

4 November 1998

Ford Engineers Study Government Technologies

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 4 -- As the Space Shuttle blasted off
last week, Ford engineers had a special reason to sit glued to their
televisions.  Their curiosity went beyond intrigue for John Glenn's historic
space mission.
    This week, Ford's engineering community joins forces with the federal
government's most sophisticated technology centers, including NASA, at the
unprecedented Federal Laboratories Technology Expo.  Their mission: exchange
technologies to benefit the nation.
    "Learning what the government has to offer will benefit both the
government and Ford -- as well as our customers and American taxpayers," said
John McTague, vice president, Technical Affairs.  "Ultimately, many of the
innovations from the federal labs may help us develop even safer and more
environmentally friendly vehicles."
    Examples of these technologies include the lightweight, heavy-duty
materials used to build the Space Shuttle.
    "Working together, we hope to learn more about these materials and how to
produce them more cost effectively," McTague said.  "At the same time, the
government labs can take away some of our breakthrough cost-savings techniques
to develop their technologies more efficiently.
    "Taxpayers already have paid for these technologies.  We are adding value
to that investment and, at the same time, sharing some of our best ideas.  The
goal is to establish long-term working relationships with the labs to the
benefit of everyone."
    Ford's industry-first Technology Review Center (TRC) hosts the Expo on
Nov. 3-4, featuring more than 70 technology presentations by 22 different
federal labs.
    The TRC has hosted more than 60 supplier technology presentations since
opening in October of 1995 and gives Ford the ability to arrange unique
programs like the Tech Expo.
    "The TRC has given Ford a central source for technology discussions and
deployment," said McTague.  "Before, suppliers or government labs went through
the time-consuming hunt-and-peck process of discussing technologies with
individual groups throughout the company."
    "Now they can display their ideas in one day to anybody who is interested.
This clearly speeds up the technology development and deployment processes --
and it exposes far more Ford engineers to different technologies."