{"id":17580,"date":"2012-07-27T18:55:02","date_gmt":"2012-07-27T22:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbach.net\/blog\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2021-12-15T15:50:53","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T20:50:53","slug":"bill-ford-wants-to-turn-michigan-into-the-silicon-valley-of-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/bill-ford-wants-to-turn-michigan-into-the-silicon-valley-of-mobility\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Ford Wants to Turn Michigan into \u201cSilicon Valley of Mobility\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bill<\/a> Ford Motor Company<\/a> (F<\/a>) Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr.<\/a> believes Detroit and Michigan can shed their rust belt persona. In a speech during the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, on Mackinaw Island<\/a>, Mr. Ford said the Motor City<\/a> can shed its rust-belt image and take on high-tech communities like San Francisco, Palo Alto, California<\/a>, or Seattle. The Ford<\/a> Chairman contends Michigan can be repositioned as the \u201cSilicon Valley<\/a> of Mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ford<\/a>The Detroit Bureau<\/em><\/a> observes<\/a> this is a matter of been-there-done-that. In its heyday, in the early years of the 20th Century, Detroit was the quintessential American boomtown, much like Silicon Valley is today. It was dubbed by many the \u201cParis of the Midwest\u201d because of its art, architecture, and sophisticated lifestyle. But things began to rapidly decline in the post-War years and today some old industrial sites are being converted back to farmland.<\/p>\n

Chairman Ford insisted continuing decline is not inevitable, especially if Detroit and Michigan<\/a> embrace new \u201cgreen, smart technologies.\u201d Mr. Ford continued, \u201cTo address this issue, we will once again need new technologies, as well as new ways of looking at the world. We will need to view the automobile as one element of a transportation ecosystem.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Detroit\"<\/a>The automobile, Bill Ford has noted on several occasions, can no longer be viewed as a standalone machine. Industry leaders need to accept and respond to such challenges as fuel economy, emissions, safety, and highway gridlock.<\/p>\n

Bill Ford – Ford Motor Company Chairman<\/h3>\n

\u201cThis technology is in varying stages of development and deployment, but it promises to radically transform the experience of driving,<\/em>\u201d said Ford during his speech. \u201cAs it develops, I believe Michigan must become the Silicon Valley of the mobility revolution.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ford Chairman noted the automaker has so far invested nearly a billion dollars in battery technology in Michigan. That includes upgrades to the Michigan Assembly Plant in the Detroit suburb of Wayne that recently began producing the new Ford Focus Electric. The factory will also add a plug-in hybrid version of Ford\u2019s new C-Max \u201cpeople-mover\u201d later this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As TheDetroitBureau.com<\/em> recently reported<\/a>, there has been a significant turnaround in terms of high-tech job opportunities in Michigan. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers<\/a> and other groups, there is now a shortage of trained specialists, especially with more advanced skills in areas such as fuel economy and emissions controls. And Detroit\u2019s Big Three aren\u2019t the only ones hiring. Virtually every major automaker and supplier now has a significant tech presence in Metro Detroit, including Toyota which has set up a major test track and engineering center<\/a> near Ann Arbor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In his speech, Chairman Ford noted a recent study by\u00a0TechAmerica<\/a> Foundation (which I also noted here<\/a><\/em>) that found that despite the deep recession Michigan had added more high-tech jobs in 2009 and 2010 than any other state.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The turnaround of the Great Lakes State<\/a> will require a significant effort, the Ford Chairman acknowledged and will take steps that make sure its competitiveness according to the article. He concluded his speech by calling on lawmakers to take several steps, including the elimination of personal property taxes and investment in upgrading the electrical grid \u2013 which many see as a significant impediment to both expanded industrialization and the growth of the electric vehicle market.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can keep this momentum going if we are frank about the areas in which we can improve and we build upon our advantages,\u201d Ford added.<\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think there are more fundamental problems that Michigan is going to have to solve before it can take on Silicon Valley. The labor supply pool in Michigan is very thin even for the most basic IT positions like field technicians. Where I am working now, it is a constant struggle to find staff that have some enterprise experience and people skills. I think that anybody with some good skills is either working or has left Michigan.<\/em><\/p>\n

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