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The following text is a reproduction of the citation for the Henry Ford Technical Fellow award in 2001; it appeared in the pamphlet that accompanied the award presentation ceremony at the Dearborn Inn, September 20, 2001.
Dr. Timothy Davis is recognized globally and considered the foremost expert for his work in statistical science in automotive engineering. Tim's depth and innovative capability is well known within the technical community and he is frequently invited to present his research on statistical methods at technical conferences, societies, and universities around the world. Since 1991, Tim has published over 18 technical papers in prestigious journals such as Technomterics and Applied Statistics. He has published one book; Engineering, Quality and Experimental Design, has two patents, and recieved awards from the Royal Statistical Society for his accomplishments.
At Ford, Tim has succeeded in establishing and integrating the role of the quality office as a mainstream engineering activity. Specifically, he is recognized as doing pioneering work in implementing the principles of robust engineering design - that is pursuing engineering strategies to make designs as immune as possible from the disturbances of noise factors. Tim has successfully applied his knowledge to programs such as C170 (Mk I Ford Focus), CD132 (Mk III Ford Mondeo), and P221 (the 2004 F-150). His approach to quality planning has had a major impact on the execution of product engineering within the Ford Product Development System (FPDS). Tim developed the use of the Kano model to plan and execute customer satisfaction on forward model programs as a replacement for the traditional quality road-mapping approach.
And finally, Tim was recently selected to lead the Company's technical team, consisting of seven PhD's, in uncovering the root cause of tread seperations on certain Firestone tires. He was ultimately responsible for reviewing the team's findings with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), and with the staff of the 107'th United States Congress in preparation for the congressional hearings.
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