Uptime and transparency help Ford grow van market share

For Ford, 2021 was a tale of transparency and new projects designed to keep customers’ vans on the road.

Transparency in communicating the lengthening lead times caused by the semiconductor and parts supply shortages kept customers informed about developments, while Ford also suggested specification alterations to speed up deliveries on some model lines.

As customers kept hold of vans for longer, it brought Ford’s work on maintenance, repair and uptime into sharper focus, with projects such as Ford Pro and Ford Liive helping to minimise costs and downtime, even as vans aged.

Such innovations in the commercial vehicle sector helped Ford claim the title of Van Manufacturer of the Year in 2021, a highly prized award, according to fleet director Neil Wilson (pictured).

Fleet News: What would you say Ford did well during 2021, a difficult year for everyone?

Neil Wilson: We worked hard to keep customers’ businesses operational. We learnt to be more transparent on our evolving lead times and production plans. This has helped us to sell a healthy amount of CVs (commercial vehicles) – we’re still number one and we’ve grown our market share by 2.7% overall and by 3.7% in true fleet. We’ve managed new ways of working with customers, a blend of virtual and face-to-face.

FN: How have you helped customers keep vans on the road?