Case Study: Ford Motor Company achieves accurate, deployable sound-quality metrics and 6-month faster development with MathWorks

Ford Motor Company Develops and Deploys Sound-Quality Metrics

Ford Motor Company needed objective sound‑quality (SQ) metrics that correlate with human perception to evaluate and reduce noise from engines, wind, seats, mirrors, and other components, and to deploy those metrics across its global supply chain. To meet tight timelines and enable real‑time analysis (for example, spark knock detection), Ford selected MathWorks’ MATLAB product family—including MATLAB Compiler, Data Acquisition Toolbox, Signal Processing Toolbox, and Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox—as the development platform.

Using MathWorks’ MATLAB, Ford built the Simple Sound Quality Tool (SSQT), compiled standalone applications and MATLAB‑based DLL plug‑ins for third‑party systems, and used Data Acquisition Toolbox for real‑time spark knock analysis. The MathWorks solution let Ford distribute consistent SQ metrics to more than 25 suppliers, improve product quality, maintain single‑source code control, and cut development time by about six months.

Ford Motor Company