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Ford First With Assembly Line Wi-Fi Provisioning for Delivery of SYNC Software to 2011 Edge
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 26 -- -- Ford is installing Wi-Fi® access points on its assembly lines to
wirelessly deliver SYNC® software to new Wi-Fi-enabled MyFord
Touch(TM)-equipped vehicles as they are being built
-- On-the-line software downloads allow Ford to use a common SYNC
hardware module for every vehicle, reducing complexity, improving
quality and saving cost
-- The Oakville, Ontario assembly plant, which produces the all-new 2011
Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, will be first to have the
on-the-assembly-line Wi-Fi capability, with Chicago Assembly, home of
the new 2011 Ford Explorer, and other global Ford manufacturing sites
soon to follow
Ford (NYSE:F) is the first automaker to use Wi-Fi provisioning on the assembly line to wirelessly deliver SYNC software to vehicles equipped with the new MyFord Touch driver connect technology as they are being built.
The new on-the-assembly-line Wi-Fi capability eliminates the need for building, stocking and storing multiple SYNC hardware modules, thus reducing manufacturing complexity and saving cost.
"Using wireless software installation via Wi-Fi, we can stock just one type of SYNC module powering MyFord Touch and loaded with a basic software package," explained Sukhwinder Wadhwa, SYNC global platform manager. "We eliminate around 90 unique part numbers, each of which would have to be updated every time a change is made - this system really boosts quality control."
Earlier in the year, Ford announced that the next-generation SYNC system that powers MyFord Touch would feature a built-in Wi-Fi receiver. Now, Ford is further capitalizing on the limitless possibilities of this in-car wireless connection, making communication between the vehicle and the assembly line a reality.
The Oakville, Ontario, assembly line that produces the all-new 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX will be the first to feature wireless access points for software installation. In turn, the Edge and MKX will become the first vehicles to get their infotainment software installed via Wi-Fi while moving down the line.
A global endeavor, Ford is also targeting Chicago Assembly Plant, which is building the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer, for Wi-Fi installation capabilities. Plant locations throughout the world that will support the 2012 Ford Focus launch will soon follow.
Through July, hundreds of pilot vehicles were successfully moving through the Wi-Fi access point at Oakville. "Employees at the Oakville assembly plant helped us tremendously in getting the Wi-Fi process to work, and work perfectly," said Wadhwa. "Turning an assembly plant - with steel beams everywhere and high-voltage cabling throughout; everything you could imagine that would interfere with a radio signal - into an access point that would achieve 100 percent success was a huge challenge.
"Oakville is our model for what we're doing next in Chicago, then into Europe for the new Ford Focus."
Wireless proposition
Going wireless for software delivery addresses a number of manufacturing complexity and potential quality issues for Ford as more and more features and services are added to SYNC across multiple vehicle lines and continents.
"As we began developing the different levels of MyFord driver connect technology, we grew increasingly concerned with the number of different hardware configurations we were going to have to keep on hand," said Wadhwa.
Where engineers initially proposed unique SYNC hardware modules for each possible vehicle configuration - resulting in more than 90 individual part numbers - Wi-Fi installation allows those different configurations to be stored as software on a computer server and wirelessly installed on a common, basic SYNC hardware module as the vehicles are built.
Through the Wi-Fi connection, SYNC software options totaling as much as 300 megabytes of data can be installed and configured wirelessly, including:
-- The addition of the SYNC app Traffic, Directions & Information in U.S.
markets
-- Market-appropriate languages for voice-activated commands and system
prompts
-- Option-specific graphics and icons for navigation, system information
and instrument panel screens
-- Unique system color schemes for MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch
-- Units of measurement settings for fuel economy, speed and distance
Global implementation
With the dual challenge of implementing a cutting-edge driver connect technology like MyFord Touch and rolling that technology out to a global marketplace, Wi-Fi has been a key to rapid globalization of the SYNC system, added Wadhwa.
"Ford is developing and implementing world-class manufacturing techniques that are just as advanced as the vehicles they're being used to build, and we're scaling these techniques for use around the globe," he said.
Video available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YjqEtknyEc
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com.
Source: Ford Motor Company
CONTACT: Alan Hall, +1-313-594-3744, ahall32@ford.com, or Robert Parker,
+1-313-845-0784, rparker8@ford.com, both of Ford Motor Company
Web Site: http://www.ford.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107607.html
Ford First With Assembly Line Wi-Fi Provisioning for Delivery of SYNC Software to 2011 Edge
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 26 -- -- Ford is installing Wi-Fi® access points on its assembly lines to
wirelessly deliver SYNC® software to new Wi-Fi-enabled MyFord
Touch(TM)-equipped vehicles as they are being built
-- On-the-line software downloads allow Ford to use a common SYNC
hardware module for every vehicle, reducing complexity, improving
quality and saving cost
-- The Oakville, Ontario assembly plant, which produces the all-new 2011
Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, will be first to have the
on-the-assembly-line Wi-Fi capability, with Chicago Assembly, home of
the new 2011 Ford Explorer, and other global Ford manufacturing sites
soon to follow
Ford (NYSE:F) is the first automaker to use Wi-Fi provisioning on the assembly line to wirelessly deliver SYNC software to vehicles equipped with the new MyFord Touch driver connect technology as they are being built.
The new on-the-assembly-line Wi-Fi capability eliminates the need for building, stocking and storing multiple SYNC hardware modules, thus reducing manufacturing complexity and saving cost.
"Using wireless software installation via Wi-Fi, we can stock just one type of SYNC module powering MyFord Touch and loaded with a basic software package," explained Sukhwinder Wadhwa, SYNC global platform manager. "We eliminate around 90 unique part numbers, each of which would have to be updated every time a change is made - this system really boosts quality control."
Earlier in the year, Ford announced that the next-generation SYNC system that powers MyFord Touch would feature a built-in Wi-Fi receiver. Now, Ford is further capitalizing on the limitless possibilities of this in-car wireless connection, making communication between the vehicle and the assembly line a reality.
The Oakville, Ontario, assembly line that produces the all-new 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX will be the first to feature wireless access points for software installation. In turn, the Edge and MKX will become the first vehicles to get their infotainment software installed via Wi-Fi while moving down the line.
A global endeavor, Ford is also targeting Chicago Assembly Plant, which is building the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer, for Wi-Fi installation capabilities. Plant locations throughout the world that will support the 2012 Ford Focus launch will soon follow.
Through July, hundreds of pilot vehicles were successfully moving through the Wi-Fi access point at Oakville. "Employees at the Oakville assembly plant helped us tremendously in getting the Wi-Fi process to work, and work perfectly," said Wadhwa. "Turning an assembly plant - with steel beams everywhere and high-voltage cabling throughout; everything you could imagine that would interfere with a radio signal - into an access point that would achieve 100 percent success was a huge challenge.
"Oakville is our model for what we're doing next in Chicago, then into Europe for the new Ford Focus."
Wireless proposition
Going wireless for software delivery addresses a number of manufacturing complexity and potential quality issues for Ford as more and more features and services are added to SYNC across multiple vehicle lines and continents.
"As we began developing the different levels of MyFord driver connect technology, we grew increasingly concerned with the number of different hardware configurations we were going to have to keep on hand," said Wadhwa.
Where engineers initially proposed unique SYNC hardware modules for each possible vehicle configuration - resulting in more than 90 individual part numbers - Wi-Fi installation allows those different configurations to be stored as software on a computer server and wirelessly installed on a common, basic SYNC hardware module as the vehicles are built.
Through the Wi-Fi connection, SYNC software options totaling as much as 300 megabytes of data can be installed and configured wirelessly, including:
-- The addition of the SYNC app Traffic, Directions & Information in U.S.
markets
-- Market-appropriate languages for voice-activated commands and system
prompts
-- Option-specific graphics and icons for navigation, system information
and instrument panel screens
-- Unique system color schemes for MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch
-- Units of measurement settings for fuel economy, speed and distance
Global implementation
With the dual challenge of implementing a cutting-edge driver connect technology like MyFord Touch and rolling that technology out to a global marketplace, Wi-Fi has been a key to rapid globalization of the SYNC system, added Wadhwa.
"Ford is developing and implementing world-class manufacturing techniques that are just as advanced as the vehicles they're being used to build, and we're scaling these techniques for use around the globe," he said.
Video available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YjqEtknyEc
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) , a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com.
Source: Ford Motor Company
CONTACT: Alan Hall, +1-313-594-3744, ahall32@ford.com, or Robert Parker,
+1-313-845-0784, rparker8@ford.com, both of Ford Motor Company
Web Site: http://www.ford.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/107607.html