Ford Q1 MSA - Virtual Site Visit Hardware

Teamk1

Starting to get Involved
It was a letter to all Ford production suppliers from an Executive Director at Ford. It was an attachment to an email that was sent in their usual "bulletin" manner. By that I mean, if you are the contact person for, say, Engineering, you receive XYZ bulletins or if you use ABC application you automatically receive bulletin notifications via email on anything ABC related. The bulletins are also on their portal where you view your metrics and you must read them and check a box stating you've read them. I checked one of them (their have been a few) and none appear "controlled". Then we received a direct email from a Ford employee with the title: Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle (BEV) Strategy Lead Hololenses Gatekeeper Industry 4.0 asking if we'd fulfilled the requirement yet. In his email he states: Just as a reminder, iphone is not allowed or not considered as XR or VR. There is a list (Please see PDF from initial mail).

I don't know if it was my title or which application I use that got me this email bulletin. Presumably because it's my name as the submitter of the MSA. But I'm guessing other titles and applications are included.

So, the bulletin didn't specify you can't use the phone, but it did say it must be on the list (and phones are not). The MSA requirement details state the device must be approved by Ford. Plus, when we asked for a waiver, we did say we have laptop, phone, etc. capability so they'd still be able to have remote / virtual access to our facility. In the MSA you need to provide evidence that you're meeting the requirement. If I responded that we plan or are meeting the requirement via a mobile phone, they would reject the response based on the fact that those are not on the approved hardware/software list.

So, yeah, we've tried the route you're suggesting. Doesn't appear to be any way around it. Either we comply as they want us to or it's considered not complying. But they can't or won't or don't explain why it HAS to be a HoloLens or equivalent. (We've asked repeatedly.) Just that it does.
 

John C. Abnet

Leader
Super Moderator
Well, I found this attachment. Note the presentation calls MSA section II.10.5 Virtual Capability but it's currently called
Problem Solving / Corrective Action in the MSA itself.

Please let me know if attaching breaks any rules and I'll remove.

I guess a small portion of the answer is on the slide17: refusal to meet the requirement gets you a red MSA and resulting score loss to Q1. But how much of a score loss to Q1?

Thank you for sharing the presentation.
My apple 12 (Iphone) will record at 1080p
Zoom will live stream at 720p
Speeds are 60fps

I do not see anything on "normal" hardware/software/connectivity that does not comply with what is in the presentation you provided.

Am I missing something?
 

Teamk1

Starting to get Involved
Here's a thumbnail of a snippet of an email with the list. A snipped of a snippet that was in a direct email. So, it now *does* beg the question: where is the official, formal list? But, I'm pretty confident such official, formal list does, in fact, exist and it will only require an email to one of the Ford contacts to get a copy of it. I will pursue that, certainly, so as to have it. But, I don't think that it's going to end up being a viable route to argue that its non-existent (an official approved list) and therefore standard or "normal" hardware like a laptop should be allowed.



Ford Q1 MSA - Virtual Site Visit Hardware
 

John C. Abnet

Leader
Super Moderator
Here's a thumbnail of a snippet of an email with the list. A snipped of a snippet that was in a direct email. So, it now *does* beg the question: where is the official, formal list? But, I'm pretty confident such official, formal list does, in fact, exist and it will only require an email to one of the Ford contacts to get a copy of it. I will pursue that, certainly, so as to have it. But, I don't think that it's going to end up being a viable route to argue that its non-existent (an official approved list) and therefore standard or "normal" hardware like a laptop should be allowed.

Thanks for sharing. Quite unbelievable really (although I certainly believe this is what you are being told). Do you have peers in the first tier Ford supply chain that you are able to speak openly with? Have their organizations received same/ similar? Is this thumbnail part of a formal "bulletin" or is this simply a direct STA communication? (I ask this last question because this thumbnail is additional to to the requirements of the PowerPoint you provided earlier).

Be well.


View attachment 28644
 
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