Sounds About Right: Ford Trains Workers to Listen for Defects

Ford in Europe is turning its back on high-tech devices to ensure its new engines meet the most stringent quality tests.

In doing so, it is adding engine production to a world where wine tasting and piano tuning still are best left to the human senses.

Ford has found that for certain tests, nothing beats a good set of ears to help ensure the all-new Focus RS hot hatch achieves optimum performance.

It’s using specially trained production workers to conduct an auditory test that confirms the Focus RS hatchback’s 345-hp 2.3L EcoBoost engine works perfectly prior to installation in the car.

Between them, Ford’s engine listeners carry out the test on 2,000 engines a day at the Valencia, Spain, plant. Preparing engines for testing provides a natural break between the listening sessions, so the employees can maintain full concentration on the tests over a working day.

Gunnar Herrmann, Ford of Europe vice president-quality, says these workers know exactly how a perfectly calibrated engine sounds.

“They know the tiny sounds to listen for in case there is a problem,” Herrman says in a statement. “Think of it like a doctor who has the most advanced diagnostic technology but still uses a stethoscope to gather vital clues to a patient’s health.”

The Valencia employees are taught to identify defects, using specially prepared “faulty” engines that highlight the sounds they need to detect.

After several months of training and coaching, team members are qualified to conduct the intensive 1-minute tests in one of 18 soundproofed cells at the end of the production line.

Should they hear any rattling or whistling sounds typically associated with issues, such as a blocked lubrication passage or a damaged gear tooth, the engine is removed so the problem can be addressed.

The Focus RS engine has been specially engineered to ensure Ford’s ultimate hot hatch can cover 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.7 seconds and achieve a top speed of 165 mph (264 km/h).

Ford also uses the engine listeners to test the EcoBoost engines that are used in models including Ford Focus ST, S-Max and Mondeo

Juan Carlos Rosmari, a quality technician in Valencia, says the experience of hearing thousands of engines allows the team to sense instantly when something is not working perfectly.

“Each different engine type has its own unique sound, and from listening to them in the test cells we get to know their individual characters – and the telltale signs which indicate a problem,” he says.