‘Innovation Is the Lifeblood’ of Our Company: Bill Ford Kicks Off Milestone Tech Showcase

The energy of innovation filled the halls of the Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn on Thursday for the third-annual Tech Showcase, and throngs of employees crowded around from multiple levels to hear Executive Chair Bill Ford kick off the three-day expo. 

“Your demonstration days are things that I always look forward to because I see things that I would never see in my normal course of business,” said Bill Ford, who later toured the show floor and spoke with exhibitors and attendees. “And (innovation is) the lifeblood of our company.”

Ford shared his gratitude with attendees and also thanked their families for the sacrifices that are sometimes necessary to deliver world-class innovations. 

“Ford Motor Company demands a lot of each and every one of you and your families, and you guys have been amazing,” he said. “You are our future, and it couldn’t be in better hands.”

This year’s third-annual event marks the 75th anniversary of Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering (R&A) team which hosts the event. Ford recalled feeling “inspired and excited” during his many visits to the research campus in his nearly 50 years with the company. He also said that employees are a company’s “competitive advantage” in today’s business environment when it comes to innovation, “because everything else is static or can be modified.” 

“The only competitive advantage any company has are its people,” he said. “You guys are right at the center of it. And what you’ve done throughout your history is just incredible.”

Shedding Light on Ford Tech Projects 

The projects on exhibit covered a wide swath of the company. Technologies included AI,  manufacturing, advanced materials, propulsion, and more. In all, this year’s event featured more than 80 interactive technology booths, just a third of which originated with the hosting R&A team, as well as full vehicle demonstrations from global engineering teams. 

Many of the technologies on exhibit are in different phases of development, though some are for research purposes only and not intended to reach production. The event serves as a walkthrough for the company’s global leaders and executives, technical specialists, and strategy and planning teams. 

Matt Jones, ‌Ford Tech Showcase ‌co-chair and ‌executive director, technology platforms, Cynthia Flanigan, Ford Tech Showcase co-chair, and Henry Ford Technical Fellow, Sustainability, and Charles Poon, vice president, vehicle hardware engineering, led Ford through an exhibit of some of the most important innovations of the past 75 years. 

The group also stopped at multiple exhibits, including a pair of projects designed to help reduce the cost of battery cell sourcing, design, and manufacturing. Another destination was related to collaborative robotics. 

“We’re in a race based on our expectations, which are changing on a day-to-day basis based on the digital world,” Jones said. “What is it that we are doing today, no matter what department we’re in, to accelerate the developments with the quality that we know that we want as Ford drivers and to solve the problems that our customers don’t yet know about.”

A Legacy of Innovation  

The R&A team traces its roots to 1951, when Ford established the Scientific Research Laboratory and began a vast expansion of its research campus following World War II. 

The Tech Showcase is one of two signature events hosted by the R&A team each year to recognize the company’s culture of innovation. Next month is the Henry Ford Technology Awards, which are the Ford Motor Company’s highest technical honors. Many of the advances awarded there have been scaled for millions of customers over the past 40+ years since the event’s inception. 

What You Said 

Imad Makki, a senior manager in R&A, was taking note of the displays that utilized AI to free up engineers to perform more meaningful tasks, similar to what his team was presenting. 

“As you walk around, you see more and more AI-related projects, different usage of AI, whether it’s for design, efficiency, improving quality, reducing or optimizing engineers’ time to spend less time on repetitive tasks so they can spend more time on innovation and solving more complex problems,” he said. 

Song Gao, who works in battery coating, said the Tech Showcase offered him a chance to take a wider view of the company. 

“We are a very specialized group, but this gives us a very good opportunity to see what’s really happening in this company across different functions, so I learned a lot,” he said. “It’s a really good opportunity, and we also have a good chance to see executives, and that is not a very common occasion.”

Curiosity Rules the Day  

A historic display created to mark R&A’s anniversary included classic Ford engines, COVID-era medical equipment created during Project Apollo, soy foam seats which debuted nearly 20 years ago on the Ford Mustang, and aluminum alloys that helped make F-Series trucks up to 700 pounds lighter. The display also included a look at the architecture underpinning Ford’s new Universal Electric Vehicle, which will be significantly less complex to build. 

Ford noted that the company’s work producing protective equipment during the COVID pandemic has had a lasting impact on the company’s reputation as a manufacturing organization. 

“When I go to Washington, there’s a really an enhanced appreciation for what American manufacturing and engineering can do for the country,” he said. 

Jones closed his opening remarks by inviting attendees to let their curiosity take the wheel. 

“Go to those tech booths, ask a question you don’t know the answer to,” he said. “Genuinely be curious about what others are doing and think about how you can learn, how your projects can intersect with all of these technologies, come together to make the amazing products that we ship every day for Ford Motor Company. We don’t sell tires, we don’t sell wheels, and we don’t sell apps — we sell amazing vehicles.”