US - John Savona has been appointed vice president of North American manufacturing. He is now responsible for the company's entire production footprint across the country, which consists of over 30 plants.

"John has nearly 30 years of experience in Ford manufacturing, having held leadership positions in many of our manufacturing facilities and been responsible for key areas including global quality improvement," observed Gary Johnson, group vice president, manufacturing and labor affairs. "We are excited to have his expertise focused on building the very best vehicles with the highest quality here in North America."

Savona was previously Ford's director of global manufacturing quality, and has also held various positions at the OEM's Wayne assembly plant in Michigan.

News of Savona's appointment came at the same time as the company's decision to make Elena Ford chief customer experience officer. She is now tasked with enhancing customer experience throughout the entire vehicle ownership cycle.

AMS recently published a comment piece on Ford's plans for the near future, which covers potential job losses and the current political climate in the US.