Brian Byndas first aimed for a Ford Motor Company engineering career as a junior high school student. More than an adolescent obsession, this goal represented destiny for the car-crazy Byndas – a third-generation Ford employee.
“My father was a Ford lifer, a powertrain calibration specialist and a gearhead of the first order,” said Byndas, proudly. “While I was attending high school in Westland, Mich., Dad spent a great deal of time at Ford’s Arizona proving grounds facility. He returned from one of those trips with my very first car, a 1972 Mercury Comet GT with a 302 V8 and a floor-mounted stick shift. This was followed by a 1973 Mustang Mach 1 with the legendary 351 Cleveland engine.”
The seed had been planted for Byndas.
Both of Byndas’ grandfathers and two uncles also worked at Ford, reinforcing his sense of Blue Oval internal combustion honor and duty.
“The Mach 1 took me through my undergrad degree in mechanical engineering at Lawrence Technological University,” Byndas said. “After joining the company, I earned my master’s in engineering management at Wayne State University in Detroit.”
Byndas’ Ford career has revolved around component engineering and program management, putting him ever closer to the customer. His most recent task was sifting through a mountain of customer and media feedback to the 2010 Taurus, then systematically translating many customer suggestions into production reality.
Byndas has been a Taurus program manager for five years, beginning with the conception and development of the completely reinvented 2010 model. Making terrific even better for the 2013 model – much of it based on attentive listening to real customers – has been a gratifying experience for Byndas.
“The 2010 Taurus scored an incredible 92 percent rating in customer satisfaction, so how do you improve on that?” Byndas asked. “With the goal of continuous improvement, you listen carefully to what Taurus buyers and lessees have to say, you talk to our dealers, and you pore over third-party quality audits, Consumer Reports and other media reactions. That’s how we make a great car even better.”
Byndas is married, the father of three active children, and is an avid boater and fisherman.
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
April 19, 2011