Ford also will build new vehicle modification and training centers.
Ford Motor Company today announced an investment of $1.05 billion (R15.8 billion) in its South African manufacturing operations – marking the biggest investment in Ford’s 97-year history in South Africa. The annual installed capacity at the Silverton plant will increase to 200,000 vehicles from 168,000, for production of the new 2020 Ford Ranger pickup truck for the domestic market and export to over 100 global markets.
Silverton will become one of the first Ford plants globally to achieve “Island Mode” status, becoming entirely energy self-sufficient and carbon neutral by 2024. The plant also will manufacture Volkswagen pickups trucks as part of the Ford-VW alliance. (read AutoInformed.com on Volkswagen Joins Ford by Investing in Argo AI, Volkswagen and Ford Announce Alliance Without Cross Equity)
“This investment will further modernize our South African operations, helping them to play an even more important role in the turnaround and growth of our global automotive operations, as well as our strategic alliance with Volkswagen,” said Dianne Craig, president, Ford’s International Markets Group.
The expanded production will help create 1,200 incremental Ford jobs in South Africa, increasing the local workforce to 5,500 employees, and adding an estimated 10,000 new jobs across Ford’s local supplier network, bringing the total to 60,000.
Claimed improvements in production efficiency and vehicle quality will come from construction of a new body shop with the latest robotic technology and a new high-tech stamping plant, both of which will be located on-site for the first time. Both facilities will modernize and streamline the integrated manufacturing process at reducing overall cost and waste.
The new stamping plant will use a high-speed line to produce all the major sheet metal components for the new Ranger. It includes a fully automated storage and retrieval system for stamping dies, which will be housed in the roof of the facility, thus eliminating related labor-intensive processes. In addition, a modern blue-light scanner system that scans surfaces for imperfections will ensure the highest-quality final product leaves the stamping plant.
Extensive upgrades also will be made to the box line, paint shop and final assembly to improve vehicle flow within the plant, along with the expansion of the container and vehicle yards.
Ford also will build new vehicle modification and training centers – the latter developed to ensure all Ford employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to maximize the efficiencies of the enhanced Silverton facilities.
“As part of our extensive investment in the Silverton plant, we also are building a new Ford-owned and operated chassis line in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ),” said Ockert Berry, vice president, Operations, for Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
In addition to its representation on the TASEZ board, Ford also is working with all three spheres of government and relevant state-owned entities such as Transnet, in developing the Gauteng Province – Eastern Cape Province High-Capacity Rail Freight Corridor. This will be a full-service line linking the Silverton Assembly Plant and the TASEZ with Port Elizabeth, which is home to Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant and the Coega Special Economic Zone.
The GP-EC High-Capacity Rail Freight Corridor will channel all of Ford’s inbound and outbound logistics exclusively through Port Elizabeth to support the higher production volumes. It is projected to create thousands of jobs.
Months of rumors, spy shots and speculation are true. (Make that years. Many Ford execs hated this truck because it was part of its ill-fated Mazda linkup that ended in a messy and ruinous divorce hurting both parties- editor. See:, Mazda BT 50, Ford Ranger Pickup Capacity Upped in Thailand, New Ford Ranger Debuts in Bangkok – U.S. Bound? )
Ford is adding an all-new compact pickup to the lineup, and it’s called Maverick. Bringing a rebirth of a classic name and the creation of a new choice for truck customers, the all-new Ford Maverick makes its debut on June 8 with the help of actress Gabrielle Union. She will show-off the all-new truck on her own Instagram and TikTok channels, on Ford’s social channels as well as on Hulu. The Maverick will be Ford’s first vehicle to debut on its new U.S. TikTok channel. Get a closer look of the all-new Maverick on June 8 at ford.com. – Ford motor confirmed this today – AutoCrat