MULTIMEDIA PRODUCT DESIGNER

Ford Motor company brought many fantastic learning principles.

For mass production volume, every cent counts for the profitability of the business; the selection of single components, mechanisms, the PCB material, platings, coatings, and even the mounting methodology.

From involvement with the new range (1990) "Wide Bezel Radio"  4000, 4000RDS, 6000 and  up to the latest 6006 model with 6 disc multi changer built into the single unit, to be a part of something that would be released to the global market, engineered to budget, in an automotive environment was a unique opportunity.

 

MULTIMEDIA PRODUCT ASSURANCE & RELIABILITY

Progression into product assurance of multimedia devices involved the science and study of failure modes. Prevention of failures and attaining the satisfaction of client standards was truly an understanding into materials, mechanisms and budgetary influences upon parts durability and quality for internal and external vendor products.

Starting from first principles, reconfiguring  the 'Global Standards' used by our clients to interpret the essence, then to derive a written single company 'Test Standard' for Design Verification (DV);

• Materials

• Material combinations and mechanisms

• Electronics design and fabrication

• Electronics standards for operation, EMC and Compliance   

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The 'Test Standards' could be used to test all materials correctly from visible to internal plastics, to PCB electronics, to metal components, it was a significant breakthrough in engineering and a global win to reduce development time. The effort resulted in the 'GLOBAL QUALITY AWARD' for business excellence presented to me by Jack Nasser the CEO and President of Ford Motor Company in a personal recognition of my contribution to science and quality engineering.

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The  savings;

• Right first time in design saving 8-months on a typical development programme

• Compliance testing reduced costs through selective testing

• Improvement in durability

• Client failure reduction and performance improvements 

• Total cost saving annually of $1.3M per radio project development to product release

• Total cost saving annually of $3.7M per radio project in client warranty over 5 years

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With an average of 12 radio programmes annually, the savings amounted to $15.6M in development, and a further reduction of upto $44.7M in client liability claims over the 5year period for the product range.