A Boeing 787 uses more than 14 million lines of code to operate, and an F-35 fighter jet carries anywhere from eight to 24 million lines of code, with reports putting it closer to 9.1 million.
The Ford F-150, on the other hand, operates using more than 100 million lines of code.
These are stats Jared Ricart, a third-generation Ford dealer operating as president and CEO of Ricart Automotive, shared on Daily Dealer Live last week during an interview with host Sam D’Arc.
“These are the most sophisticated things on Earth,” he said.
Now, for context, reports clarify that the Boeing 787 and the fighter jet, as well as web-based products like Facebook or X, run as intended on fewer lines of code because that’s what they’re built for.
Ford having more or less code than those examples doesn’t make it more or less efficient, but it supports Ricart’s point: regardless of why, or how well it’s put together, today’s vehicles are more complex than ever.
Why this matters: More sophistication means more recalls and complex repairs. Complex repairs require well-trained technicians, and as we’ve covered before, technicians are hard to come by these days.
Together, these are affecting entire communities, from the dealership itself to each retail and fleet customer keeping the city (in this case, Columbus) running.
“We as a family, we kind of looked at our business and said, ‘You know, the city of Columbus has been so great to us,’ starting with my grandfather, to my dad and uncle, and to where we are, [so] my business partner Regan and I, we wanna support the businesses that support the community.”
Here’s how they’ve done this: Ricart told D’Arc that the group works with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and Columbus State Community College through a “development from within” initiative.
“We're asking these young people to learn how to work on them because they're HVAC specialists, they're electricians, they're IT, they're mechanics. I mean, the list goes on…. The fact of the matter is we all have to be on board with developing our talent, and we can't just rely on somebody else to develop it for us.”
Thanks to these efforts, which Ricart said started 10 to 15 years ago, “about 75%” of their group’s Ford technicians “have been developed from within.”
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On fleet: Ricart Automotive has a 113,000-square-foot Ford Pro Elite facility, built to service fleet vehicles.
The facility has 64 bays, plus seven mobile service vehicles on the road, which Ricart called “a must” in today’s market.
“We live in a world where, if we want something, that package [is] delivered on our front doorstep. It's about convenience… Cause every time that vehicle is down, it's just costing our partners money. And, you know, being a businessman myself and just like everybody else, we wanna help the businesses be efficient in running.”
To illustrate his point, he said the facility’s mobile service vans will go straight to a business’ worksite if one of their fleet vehicles has issues, so their fleet customers can avoid paying to tow their vehicles.
Being the source: Also on the service side, Ricart’s group has a 71,000-square-foot wholesale parts warehouse.
Having access to parts that way lets technicians help customers every day, and it also establishes Ricart as a source for other businesses looking for parts they might have.
“Whether it be an auto body… just a local shop, or another dealer, it was a holistic approach that we wanted to support those businesses that support our community.”
Looking ahead: Ricart expects extreme population growth in Columbus, which he said means more housing and “more everything” his fleet customers will need support with.
But he stressed the order of operations, too. “Before you ever build a building, you need to find the people that are gonna be working out of it, and that's the automotive technician.”
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