John Fleming is Ford Motor Company Executive Vice President, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs.
Prior to this appointment, he served dual roles as Chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe and executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs. Fleming assumed singular responsibility for leading the company’s Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs operations upon completion of the sale of Volvo Car Corporation on August 2, 2010.
Fleming is leading Ford’s Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs operations at a critical time for new global product introductions around the world, rapid expansion in growth markets and labor negotiations in several global markets that are critical to the company’s competitiveness.
Since December 2009 when he added Ford’s Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs organization to his duties, Fleming has been responsible for overseeing the global operations of 75 assembly, stamping and powertrain plants. He also is responsible for the company’s worldwide engineering support for stamping, vehicle and powertrain manufacturing, as well as Ford’s Material Planning & Logistics, Ford Production System, Manufacturing Business Office and Labor Affairs organizations.
In his role as Ford of Europe’s chief, Fleming was responsible for Ford of Europe, Volvo Car Corporation and Ford’s Export Operations & Global Growth Initiatives. He was elected to the position in October 2008 after serving as a Ford group vice president and president and chief executive officer, Ford of Europe since 2005. Prior to that, he was vice president, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe, with responsibility for all European manufacturing facilities and operations.
Before taking over as vice president Manufacturing, Fleming was executive director of the Ford Stamping Business Unit in the United States, an operation he was responsible for establishing. Prior to that assignment he served as director of Global Manufacturing Engineering and New Model Programs.
Fleming joined Ford in 1967 at the company’s Halewood facility on Merseyside, where he was involved in manufacturing processes for the then new Ford Escort. Fleming was appointed production manager of the plant’s paint facility in 1984 and continued with responsibility for this and other areas in a number of management roles until 1988, when he left to assume European responsibility for Paint, Trim and Chassis Engineering. He returned to Halewood in 1991 as general manufacturing manager of Ford’s Halewood Operations.
Fleming was subsequently appointed operations manager of Halewood Operations in 1993. In 1995 he was assigned to the U.S. as program operations manager for Vehicle Operations, responsible for managing four automotive assembly plants and three stamping and component plants.
Born in Liverpool, England, in 1951 Fleming holds an Honorary Degree from the John Moores University in Liverpool and production engineering qualifications from North East London Polytechnic.
