Ford Sets Up Unit to Add Zip to Its Product Lineup

Ford Motor Co. has created a new unit to make its product lineup more appealing, profitable and competitive.

The company says its Enterprise Product Line Management group will coordinate 10 cross-functional teams, each assigned a specific type of vehicle. Each team will gather input on product development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and finance.

The new unit is headed by Jim Baumbick, formerly the carmaker’s director of global product planning and strategy. His mission will be to apply the same “obsession” that has turned the company’s F-Series pickup trucks, Mustang sport coupe and Transit vans into such successful product lines.

The group will work with Ford’s existing product development structure on a global scale, according to the company. Baumbick, 47, will report to Jim Farley, president of Ford global markets, who says each team will be accountable for product wins and its ability to deliver profitable growth.

The 10 vehicle types targeted by the initiative are F-Series trucks, compact trucks, urban SUVs, rugged SUVs, family crossovers, performance vehicles, commercial vehicles, electrics, luxury vehicles and emerging-market vehicles.