CHENNAI, India – Ford
India today announced it has completed the expansion of its engine
plant, increasing annual engine production capacity 36 per cent to
340,000, helping transform the facility into a regional small engine
hub.
The new facility was
completed in record time of just over 14 months and creates capacity in
manufacturing over additional 80,000 diesel engines annually.
The additional capacity
will feed the surging demand for diesel powertrains in India and growing
exports, creating more employment opportunities in the process. The
ongoing expansion has already led to the hiring of 200 employees.
“We are delighted to
see this new addition to our capacity in the Engine Plant as we gear up
to move to the next stage of growth in India and the region,” said
Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India.
The facility is the
first Ford plant in the world with single flexible production line
manufacturing petrol and diesel engines. It is also the first Ford
facility to run a flexible crank shaft production line producing crank
shafts, and to have a fully flexible Cold test, Hot test and Dyno test
facility for petrol and diesel engines.
“We are at an
interesting phase of growth with the markets demanding swift responses
from manufacturers, and I’m proud to say that with this plant’s
amazingly flexible production lines of both petrol and diesel engines,
we’re well-poised to move quickly,” Boneham added.
Boneham recently joined the Engine Plant’s
chief, Balasundaram Radhakrishnan, vice-president, Powertrain
Operations, Ford India, in cutting a ribbon to mark the roll-out of the
400,000th engine from the plant.
“This is a special occasion for all of us
at the Chennai Engine Plant. Commissioning this facility in record time
is a tremendous milestone and just adds to the many significant
achievements this plant has in terms of Quality, Safe, Smart and Green,”
said Radhakrishnan.
“To be rolling out the 400,000th engine
from the Chennai plant in just under four years is an outstanding
achievement, and one that everyone involved should be extremely proud,”
said Gary Johnson,vice president, Manufacturing, Ford Asia Pacific and
Africa. “Ford is currently building seven new plants across Asia Pacific
and Africa, and we are making a significant commitment in India, which
will see it become a regional hub for low-displacement engine
production.”
One Plant: Many Smart Steps
The US$ 72 million investment, which has
enabled the plant to enhance the Crankshaft Machining, Cylinder Head and
Cylinder Block Machining at the Machine Shop with procurement of new
equipment has also boosted its ability to handle more complex tasks.
Today, the plant produces 12 Duratec petrol engine variants and five
Duratorq diesel engine variants, allowing the workforce to hone its
skills working on several variants.
Commissioning of the expanded facility is
one of the key steps in Ford India’s transformation into a major export
and manufacturing hub of small displacement engines -- 1.6 TiVCT, 1.4 HC
and Duratorq engines will be exported to markets such as South Africa,
Thailand and Taiwan. Nearly 40 percent of engines manufactured here will
be exported.
