Fox Factory Vehicles are engineered with precision and intention that far surpass those of standard bolt-on builds. Whether it’s Black Widow, Rocky Ridge, Black Ops, or one of our custom truck builds, the process goes so much deeper than slapping on parts and calling it “done”. Every vehicle is meticulously tested for safety, performance, and design, with each build being purpose-driven and incorporating proprietary components you can’t get anywhere else.
We sat down with Flynn Woods, senior engineer at Fox Factory, to discuss why Fox Factory Vehicles has set the benchmark in the upfitting industry.
What does the journey from concept to finished vehicle look like?
Each vehicle starts with a clear purpose, such as off-roading or street cruising. From there, the truck gets the proper treatment from one of the Fox Factory brands—Black Widow, Rocky Ridge, or Black Ops. This process means dismantling the stock vehicle and transforming it into a fully customized performance machine.
Woods reflected on his first time tearing apart a new vehicle, “The first time that I had to cut on a $70,000 truck was one of the most nerve-wracking things in my life, but it’s really cool.”
Once the chassis and brand are decided, the team develops content lists, target pricing, and timelines. “Then the design team will go to work sketching concepts, receiving feedback from stakeholders throughout the org,” Woods explained. After design approval, the vehicle is moved to CAD. This is where visual design teams and engineering come together, where engineering partners with suppliers to make sure every part is efficient, high-quality, and safe.
How do the teams collaborate to ensure every component works together?
Upfitting trucks for the Fox Factory brands requires a dialed-in team effort that depends on elicit feedback. The heaviest feedback is received by the exterior graphics and design team, where the team will review concepts with the production team and make tweaks.
Woods recalls recent examples in developing the new Ram DC650:
“[W]e would order samples to come to Alabama, which is where a lot of the product development is done. Once we have our feedback [from the graphics team], we let the production team install the graphic.” This process, he highlighted, serves two purposes: training the production team without the pressure of a final build, and identifying improvements early on, such as alignment marks or additional material.
Similarly, the integration and production teams will meet to align on component install: “Sometimes we’ll install a component loosely in one area, and then it’ll go to the next area in production where the final install occurs.” This process ensures the team is churning vehicles as quickly and efficiently as possible.
"Integration is pretty much the go-to source for specifically production, but even other teams in the organization,” Woods explained. “If something isn't fitting right, if something is just not working, they're going to be the first ones. They're kind of like the firefighters for the organization.”
What are some of the toughest challenges that your team faces during development?
When it comes to producing anything of this magnitude, the team will face challenges from time to time. Woods highlights it’s all about the “unknown unknowns,” how to prepare the best you can, and how to pivot quickly in the face of new challenges.
“If you look at an OEM, they're going to be three to five years on a program, but the bulk of what we do is 12 months or less. You really can't speed up an injection-molded tool in terms of the machining that has to be done,” he explained.
With the timeline in mind, all stages have to move fast but together like cogs in a wheel. While Woods notes that there will always be one or two snags, the team is equipped to make the pivots necessary to get the project across the finish line.
“A lot of times we are designing components, sending it to tool before we even have chassis in hand,” Woods says. For the engineering team, this means catching potential delays early, adjusting their approach, and moving on to the next stage in the process as quickly as possible to stay on timeline.
“As we overcome those unknown unknowns, we place them in the memory bank and add those to the risk assessment in future programs,” said Woods.
How do we test or validate performance before a vehicle goes out the door?
Our validation process at Fox Factory Vehicles starts with numerous test drives. During the test, vehicles are evaluated from ride quality, adaptive cruise functionality, and sensor functionality. With all of the safety stuff out of the way, the evaluation becomes more about user experience.
“With test drives, we're going to have several different people try out the vehicle and by varying the individuals, we increase our sample size on those intangible items like the ride quality, the sound level, ease of entry and exit to the vehicle, front and rear side face lighting and other areas of vehicle that consumers are going experience every time they drive one of the vehicles,” explained Woods.
How do your teams define success when developing a new vehicle design?
For Flynn and his team, while getting the project across the finish line on time and on budget is the goal, it’s all about how the customer feels about the build. “We also evaluate success by the build complexity,” he adds. “A lot of times, the timeline doesn't extend for us to develop and integrate new components that we've never designed before. So we're constantly innovating and pushing boundaries specifically on these vehicle aesthetics.”
By pushing these boundaries along the way, the engineering team is able to get valuable feedback from production, marketing, and sales that they’ll use on future projects.
What do you feel is the most significant difference between how we engineer our trucks versus our competitors?
While Flynn notes that we do evaluate each Fox Factory Vehicle against our competitors, the biggest competitor of all is the DIY consumer who chooses to build the truck themselves. That said, he points out that our vehicles are set apart because they meet or exceed OE standards. While our vehicles are modified, all safety systems remain, including correct speedometer and odometer readings, and functional adaptive cruise control.
“Adaptive cruise is a big one that has come over the past couple of years,” Wood mentioned. “All these functions work in the same manner whenever the chassis leaves our facility, as it did whenever it arrived. So, we design, engineer and install multiple components so that they do provide aesthetic differentiation, but they also ensure that the vehicle is fully functional and safe.”
He also noted that we have the advantage in terms of grill replacements, fender flares and other proprietary parts that no one else in the market can get their hands on without buying our vehicles. While there may be similar parts out there, it’s not going to come with a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty to back it up.
What does "factory-engineered" mean to you?
“For me, factory-engineered means safety and intentionality,” Woods explained. All Fox Factory Vehicles are built to maintain all OE safety standards. Woods mentioned last year there were some new requirements that got thrown into the mix, along with a new marker light requirement that sent them back to the drawing board.
Ultimately, it’s about adhering to these standards first and foremost.
“From there, factory-engineered means designed with a specific purpose,” Woods said. “Our components are designed to look as good as they perform and really stand out in the marketplace.”
Is there a particular build or milestone that stands out to you personally?
During the process of developing the vehicles, there’s a series of “gates” or stages that the vehicles go through. Flynn mentioned that his favorite is gate 6, which is the final reveal of the prototype vehicle to the organization.
“During this gate presentation, when we show the concept sketch and then the completed prototype, it's just super rewarding for me,” Woods said. “The product development, advanced development, and program management teams have overcome the hurdles of development, and we're able to really showcase that new build in that gate review.”
What keeps your team motivated through the process?
Woods noted that all FFV product development is done on site in the same locations as the production team is building. This means they’re deeply involved in the process from start to finish.
“We're motivated by the workers and families that depend on us to make products that will be successful in the market. Additionally, we're motivated by taming the unknown. As an OE releases a body style or a generation change, we're the first ones on the frontier there. It's a blank canvas for our team.
When the team sees a package that we developed in the market and customers are excited about it, it's just very rewarding for all of us. But really at the end of the day, we're never done, and we're motivated by that pursuit of continuing to innovate our designs and processes really in that pursuit of perfection.”
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