Ford Motor Company, ELD/United Technologies Electronic/Distribution System Supplier Team Initiative, Dearborn, MI

05/93 - 01/95

Co-Team Leader: Co-leader and team member of a supplier team chartered with developing architectural approaches that provide vehicle electronic/electrical system reliability, cost, weight, volume and complexity improvements.  The design innovations ultimately represented a 25% cost and weight reduction along with a 57% reliability improvement and 45% complexity improvement. Using the enhanced Activity Based Cost Model developed with Coopers and Lybrand this represented a $627 per vehicle cost savings.  Significant was the application of the Hatley-Pirbhai system engineering model and use of Turbo Case modeling tool that accurately defined the system functional requirements integrating the driver information, audio, body and climate control systems. Contributed to two of more than twenty invention disclosures and patent applications developed by the team.  One for a center high mount stop lamp with integral, two-way infrared communications.  The other for integrating the electronic package enclosures into the instrument panel design.  This team was also responsible for the battery cool box concept subsequently incorporated on Ford trucks.

Ford Motor Company, Phase III System Design Office, Dearborn, MI

11/87 – 06/89

System Design Program Manager: Participated as a member of the Ford Electrical/Electronic Architecture task force.  The team included participants from AT&T, Ford Electronics Division (ELD), Ford Vehicle Office and Ford Research Office.  The six-month effort resulted in Ford’s first Vehicle Electrical/Electronic Architecture published in 1988.  Led a team to expand the Processors and Standards section of Ford’s Vehicle Electrical/Electronic Architecture published August 1989.  These two documents eventually became many of the present electrical and electronic Worldwide Corporate Requirements (WCRs).