Ford Thailand Manufacturing Celebrates Henry Ford Technology Award for Intelligent Welding Innovation

Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) proudly celebrates Nuttapong Chuenmee, Production Process Coach from Body Shop, who has been honored with a 2025 Henry Ford Technology Award (HFTA). His project, "The Future of Intelligent Welding with Automated Self-Repair" highlights FTM's commitment to innovation and manufacturing excellence.

This award-winning project, a core part of Nuttapong's PhD program and detailed in his recently published thesis, "Machine learning for predicting resistance spot weld quality in automotive manufacturing," tackles a critical challenge: ensuring perfect welds in vehicle bodies. Current random checks after assembly often lead to wasted time and resources if defects are found late.

Nuttapong and his team developed a smarter solution: a 100% predictive quality control system for every weld, much earlier in the process. They achieved this using data analysis and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. XGBoost (a highly efficient ML algorithm) emerged as the top performer.

He shared his enthusiasm: "Receiving this award is an incredible honor. This project is a significant step forward in ensuring vehicle quality. Predicting weld quality with such high accuracy and speed means we can prevent issues before they arise, leading to better products for our customers and greater efficiency for Ford. It’s exciting to see our research have such a tangible impact on the future of manufacturing."

Significant Impact for Ford

The implications of this research for Ford's manufacturing operations are profound:

• Real-time Quality Assurance: The system provides instant feedback on weld quality, enabling proactive adjustments during production.
• Cost Savings: By catching defective welds early, the project drastically reduces rework, scrap, and associated production costs.
• Enhanced Efficiency: Moving away from random checks streamlines the manufacturing process, improving overall line efficiency.
• Superior Vehicle Quality: Ultimately, this technology ensures that every vehicle leaving our factories boasts perfectly strong and reliable welds, reinforcing Ford's reputation for quality.

This groundbreaking research was a true team effort within FTM, supported by:

• Vasuma Adisaksatian (Manufacturing Engineer)
• Thanakorn Aranchaiya (Welding Engineer)
• Thitiya Phiphatpradit (Maintenance Planner)
• Chadaporn Khaolumloet (Data Analytics Engineer)
• Kanyanat Saenchatchawal (Data Analytics Engineer)

The "Future of Intelligent Welding" points to an exciting future where AI systems will not only predict defects but also explain their causes, learn, adapt, and predict equipment maintenance needs. This paves the way for automated, closed-loop quality assurance.

Nuttapong's project was among the top finalists for the 2025 HFTA. The ceremony, held October 16^th, included tours of the Ford Rouge Factory and a special Lunch Meet & Greet with Doug Field, Chief EV, Digital and Design Officer.

Congratulations again to Nuttapong Chuenmee and his team! This is more than just a project; it's a reflection of the talent and dedication of our FTM employees. They are the driving force behind a more innovative Ford—building high-quality products with smarter, more efficient solutions.