After completing his studies (Dipl.-Ing. Raumplanung at the University of Dortmund), Pano Kalandranis started at Ford in Cologne in 2005 as an order picker in the depot.
From 2007 he switched to HR and held several HR positions within the Ford plants and in joint ventures such as Getrag-Ford-Transmission at the European Headquarter in Cologne and the vehicle plant in Saarlouis.
From 2007 until 2009, he studied industrial engineering in Cologne at the FOM (Fachhochschule für Ökonomie & Management)
In 2015 he took over the position of Managing Director at Ford Aus -und Weiterbildung for Training & Consulting.
In 2017 he moved to the newly founded Ford subsidiary AIS (Automotive Industry Support – mainly assembly of the Cockpit) as Managing Director for the commercial areas in the plants Cologne and Saarlouis, before going back to Saarlouis in 2019 to fill the position of HR Manager at the vehicle plant.
In 2021 he came back to Cologne to take over the "Factory of Tomorrow" project for the Cologne location and work together with around 50 people in the workstreams Digitalization, Working Environment and Training and Qualification.
Pano Kalandranis lives with his family in Leverkusen. He is married and has three sons aged 12, 10 and 6.
To Ford of Europe:
Ford, a global American brand woven into the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years, is committed to freedom of movement that goes hand-in-hand with looking after the planet and each other. The company’s Ford+ plan, with Model e, Ford Pro and the Ford Blue business units is accelerating its European transformation to an all-electric and carbon neutral future by 2035. The company is driving forward with bold, new EVs, each one designed with European drivers in mind and innovating with services to help people connect, communities grow, and businesses thrive. Selling and servicing Ford vehicles in 50 individual European markets, operations also include the Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Customer Service Division and 14 manufacturing facilities (eight wholly owned and six unconsolidated joint venture facilities) with four centres based in Cologne, Germany; Valencia, Spain and at our joint venture in Craiova, Romania and Kocaeli, Türkiye. Ford employs approximately 34,000 people at its wholly owned facilities and consolidated joint ventures and approximately 56,000 people including unconsolidated businesses across Europe. More information about the company, its products and Ford Credit is available at corporate.ford.com.

In my role as project manager for the Factory of Tomorrow, it is important to me to work together in cross-functional teams. We try to implement technological and work organizational solutions in such a way that these solutions lead to added value and make life easier for our workforce.
We create a working environment where teams work across common goals and everyone can actively participate.
In the diverse and cross-functional teams, we intuitively arrive at better solutions. We don't think in silos, but think outside the box.
Everyone in the project contributes their experience and know-how. Through this type of collaboration, we can put ourselves in the perspective of the other team member, which is a fulfilling for me.

Ford is a global company with shared ideals and a deep sense of family. From our earliest days as a pioneer of modern transportation, we have sought to make the world a better place – one that benefits lives, communities and the planet. We are here to provide the means for every person to move and pursue their dreams, serving as a bridge between personal freedom and the future of mobility. In that pursuit, our 186,000 employees around the world help to set the pace of innovation every day.