Ford hails its R600 million investment in the Gqeberha plant as part reason for its export success.

It also won its fifth Best Exporter OEM category for original equipment vehicle manufacturers award as well as its third IDC Job Creator Merit Award.

“It is an honour and privilege to be announced as Exporter of the Year for 2022, which is the first time we have won the overall award,” said Shawn Govender, plant manager of the Ford Struandale Engine Plant.

“It’s a testament and credit to the hard work and dedication of the entire Ford team to ensure the sustainability and relevance of our business, both here in Nelson Mandela Bay and internationally as part of Ford’s global manufacturing network.”

“The introduction of the V6 diesel engine required a high level of innovation and ingenuity from our team, as it is assembled on the same line as our existing 2.2L and 3.2L Duratorq TDCi engines, although it has been extended and thoroughly modernised with significant quality improvements,” said Oscar Sundu, assistant plant manager of the Ford Struandale Engine Plant.

“This makes it the only facility in the Ford world that produces in-line and V-configuration engines on the same line, which was essential for us to contain the investment costs required, and ensure that we are globally competitive in terms of cost per unit.”

The investment also facilitated upgrades to the existing 2.0L single turbo and 2.0L bi-turbo engine assembly line, with both engine programmes supporting Ford’s highest-ever installed capacity for the Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, which will commence production of the highly anticipated Next-Generation Ford Ranger pick-up later this year.

Following an R15.8-billion investment in the Silverton operations and supplier tooling, Ford now has an installed capacity for producing 200 000 vehicles per year for domestic sales and exports to more than 100 global markets.

“At the heart of each one of these vehicles is an engine proudly produced at the Struandale Engine Plant,” said Ockert Berry, VP operations, Ford South Africa.

“With more than two thirds of the vehicles we produce being destined for export markets, this is a major export achievement for the Struandale operations, as well as our employees and supplier network.”

Since 2011 the Struandale plant has been machining Duratorq TDCi cylinder heads, blocks and crankshafts that are used for local engine assembly and exports to other engine plants around the world. By the end of 2021, almost 7m machined components were manufactured, of which more than 4.2-million were exported.

Fully assembled Duratorq TDCi engines have been produced for export customers and for Ford’s vehicle assembly operations in Pretoria. Duratorq TDCi engine assembly started in 2011, followed by the 2.0L SiT/BiT engines in 2019 – both of which have powered the current-generation Ford Ranger bakkie and Everest sport utility vehicle (SUV) for domestic sales and export markets.

Original Article: Ford Dealerview