Ford shuffles management in a push to bolster supply chain, EV units

(Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Thursday announced a management shuffle and the streamlining of its product development and supply chain units, days after flagging a likely inventory build up of up to 45,000 cars that may lack certain parts.

The automaker said Chief Financial Officer John Lawler would take on the additional responsibility of overseeing the makeover of its global supply chain operations until it names a new supply chain chief.

The global auto industry is undergoing rapid transformation as focus shifts to electric vehicles from those powered by gasoline, driving companies such as Ford and General Motors Co to commit big investments, while redrawing their strategies to compete in the fast-emerging market.

Earlier this year, Ford said its electric vehicle and internal-combustion engine units would be run as separate entities, in a move aimed at supercharging its EV business.

To bolster its efforts in ramping up the development of electric vehicles, Ford said it was naming Doug Field as chief advanced product development and technology officer.

In the expanded role, Field will oversee EV products, software and digital systems development, and advanced driver assistance, Ford said.

Field, who formerly headed Apple Inc's car project, was poached by the automaker last year to lead its efforts in advanced technology and embedded systems.

"Developing and scaling the next generation of electric and software-defined vehicles requires a different focus and mix of talent ...," Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said in a statement.

The company also said it was hiring former employees of HP Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to support its push to develop fully connected, software defined vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems.

(Reporting by Priyamvada C in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)