Ford is doubling down on its long-standing partnership strategy, positioning collaboration as central to navigating the increasing complexity of electrification, regulation and evolving customer demands.
Speaking at the briefing ahead of the reveal of the Transit City last week, Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro Europe, said joint ventures and strategic alliances are no longer optional in the commercial vehicle sector. Schep believes it is essential to delivering the breadth of products and services now required by fleet operators.
“Partnerships is what we’ve been about for decades – Ford Otosan being the most telling example of that,” Schep said.
“We’ve known them [Otosan] for a very long time and it is a great example of how great businesses can strengthen each other. It’s actually looked at as one of the most successful partnerships in automotive history.”
Schep pointed to Ford’s long-running relationship with Chinese manufacturer JMC as further evidence of the company’s reliance on collaboration to expand capability and market reach, noting the partnership has been in place for more than 30 years.
His comments come as manufacturers face mounting pressure to meet tightening emissions legislation while simultaneously responding to a variety use cases across the van market.
“There’s so many requirements and regulations with electrification and use cases get more fragmented, so you need to offer this huge pallette of customer demands, and partnerships in an environment like that are unavoidable,” Schep said.
Ford’s approach extends beyond vehicle production into software and charging infrastructure, with Schep highlighting a network of specialist partners contributing to a broader ecosystem designed to support fleet operations.
“Because of our partnership strategy, on our vehicles, our software development and charging, the fact that we partner with all these experts in our field allows us to give customers what they need and make their businesses better. I think it is one of the things that Ford is really good at,” he added.
