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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 2 8 as people deserted them, Ford had no ready answer and the company started bleeding red ink (Fig. 2). Despite the turmoil, AIV work con- tinued in the form of individual proj- ects, some sponsored by Jaguar, some supported by an unofficial network of like-minded AIV supporters. Bruno Bar- thelemy, former manager of the alumi- num technology department, provided the seed idea for one such project. The failure of the D219 program made him realize that an AIV was a step change in technology that did not fit within the existing CAFE target evaluation meth- odology. It was not simply a cost/mpg calculation, but an enabler for a cas- cade of other options, some of which offered cost offsets as well as improve- ments in fuel efficiency. He envisioned an optimization at the vehicle level. Em- bedded in a formal software program and supported by an integrated cost/ benefit evaluation system, such an ap- proach would allow product planners to evaluate multiple scenarios and seek the most robust solution for both their vehicle program and the larger cor- poration. Ford Research accepted the project and soon two engineers were working on it. By 2006, they had extend- ed the methodology to enable planners to manage the entire Ford fleet. On September 5, 2006, Bill Ford surprised the automotive world by re- signing and appointing Alan Mulally as CEO. Within three months, he hadmort- gaged all the company’s assets and an- nounced that the company would focus on Ford. Aston Martin was sold within six months, Jaguar Land Rover followed within a year, and finally Volvo was di- vested in 2010. But Mulally was not just cutting costs and closing plants. He had liberated the engineering organization, challenging them to forget “following with pride” and instead discover the joys of being technology leaders. The quiet transformation of stamp- ing engineering in Ford’s North Ameri- can operations would soon prove to be a key development. As the previous generation of diemakers-turned-man- agers retired, they were replaced by graduate engineers keen to formal- ize practical know-how into engineer- ing methods. The transformation was accelerated in 2005 when Jim Morgan was named director of both body en- gineering and stamping engineering and the two formerly separate orga- nizations were comingled on a single floor of Ford’s sprawling Product En- gineering Center. Stamping engineer- ing’s transformation was supported by the emergence of powerful comput- er applications that included 3D solid models, surface morphing, shop floor computer-assisted NC programing, and a quantum leap in forming simulation capabilities. Between 2003 and 2008, Dearborn Tool and Die evolved from a traditional tool shop relying on practical floor ex- perience into a model-driven machin- ing and assembly powerhouse. Working in concert with stamping engineering, the plant reorganized and improved tool development costs and schedules by leaps and bounds. The transforma- tion took place during workforce reduc- tions so severe that, by 2008, stamping engineering had lost one out of every two employees. And yet astounding progress was taking place, with tryout- to-first-panel going from several weeks to hours, regardless of the material. By 2009, engineers had gained the upper hand on springback: Tool development for aluminum ABS had been conquered at last. Ford’s transforma- tion extended to the powertrain as well: On May 19, 2009, the first 3.5L Ecoboost engine left Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1. A modified version of the same V6 became the premium engine for the F-150 for the 2011 model year. It imme- diately exceeded all sales expectations, demonstrating that even truck buyers were ready to embrace technologically advanced smaller engines. MORE INDUSTRY CHANGES The year 2009 was also the lowest point of the Great Recession that began in December 2007. As Ford was surviv- ing on loans it secured in 2006, GM and Chrysler cycled through accelerated bankruptcies, emerging with govern- ment loans and Fiat purchasing part of Chrysler. Transformation of the alumi- num industry continued as well: Alcan Engineered Products was sold to pri- vate investors in 2011 by Rio Tinto and reconstituted as Constellium. While centered in Europe, Constellium ac- quired Wise Metals in 2014 and bought access to Logan Aluminum’s hot mill production in North America. Constel- lium would soon invest $750 million to position the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, plant for ABS production. See what happened next in Part X of this article series, to be published in a future issue of AM&P. ~AM&P For more information: Laurent Chap- puis, president, Light Metal Consultants LLC, 8600 Church Rd., Grosse Ile, MI 48138, lbchappuis@icloud.com . Selected References Alcan: Mike Kelly (retired) Jaguar: Mark White, chief technical spe- cialist, lightweight structures (retired) Carl Dixon, lead, body structures engi- neering (retired) Jim Harper, former lead tooling engi- neer, now press tooling technical man- ager, Jaguar Land Rover Duncan Whipps, former senior manu- facturing engineer, Jaguar Cars, now design engineering supervisor, Ford Motor Company Ford: Joe Porcari, retired In memoriam: Henry “Hank” Cornille (January 14, 1937 – October 27, 2019), body structure technical specialist who designed the aluminum body struc- tures for the AIV and P2000 projects at Ford Motor Company. Fig. 2 — Ford’s truck and SUV sales versus gas prices.