Ford Motor Company has been using infrared thermography in the maintenance of its production facilities for more than fifteen years. It has proven to be a key tool, which has helped the company continuously achieved high standards of production quality by using a work force trained with the essential technical skills. Many early successes in thermography provided an environment in which expansion of the program could occur. A group of key Ford and United Auto Workers personnel was formed to promote the use of infrared technology to help meet worldwide quality standards. The committee also addressed the need for standardized training, qualification, and certification. The program that has evolved, which is based on the qualification and certification standards of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing, is a strong partnership created between the UAW-Ford National Programs Center, UAW and Ford Motor Company with assistance from an outside training contractor. The paper will detail the experiences of establishing the program, the lessons that have been learned in the problem solving process, and the costs and benefits of the solutions that were developed.
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