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• Extensive investment in Ford’s local operations
• Highest-ever production capacity of up to 168 000 vehicles per year
• New Ranger, Everest and first-ever Ranger Raptor
• Continuing investment in employees, empowerment opportunities for the community and support for wildlife and conservation programmes
Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has emerged from a comprehensive investment and production expansion programme in South Africa.
An investment of R3-billion announced in 2017 opened-up new potential for Ford’s Silverton Vehicle Assembly factory in Pretoria and its Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth.
Image: Ford
The Silverton factory now has capacity to produce up to 168 000 Rangers and Everests per year – an increase of 44 000 vehicles prior to the expansion, and a substantial 58 000 more than the original Ranger production capacity when this programme commenced in 2011.
Between 2009 and 2018, Ford has invested more than R11-billion in its local operations, proving its commitment as a global production hub for the Ranger line-up which is sold locally and exported to 148 markets around the world. The Everest SUV is supplied to markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"Our Ranger programme has been extremely successful, and we produced our 500 000th unit in August last year," says Neale Hill, MD of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
"The global demand for the Ranger continues to grow, and the R3-billion additional investment in our local operations has enabled us to prepare for an even more exciting and dynamic period ahead.
Image: Ford
"Export-oriented business is absolutely crucial for the long-term sustainability of the automotive industry in South Africa, and we are delighted and encouraged by our ongoing expansion in the global Ford supply chain for the Ranger programme. It reaffirms our ability to compete with the best plants in the world in terms of production quality and efficiency," Hill adds.
Bakkie-building by the numbers
Currently more than 400 vehicles are assembled at the Silverton plant each day, at a rate of one new vehicle every 94 seconds, or approximately 33 an hour – with higher volumes on the cards in line with the expanded production capacity. Approximately two thirds of the vehicles assembled locally are exported, making it South Africa’s leader in light commercial vehicle (LCV) exports.
The balance are sold through Ford’s 133 dealers across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland.
In order to meet the rising international demand, Ford began exporting Rangers from Port Elizabeth to selected European markets in April this year – an initiative that addresses the high level of congestion at Durban’s Roll On Roll Off (RORO) Terminal which is the country’s primary import and export hub.
Hill said: “The multi-port export strategy makes effective use of Transnet’s rail infrastructure to transport vehicles from our Silverton plant to the Port Elizabeth vehicle terminal, which is currently under-utilised.
Image: Ford
"We are shipping approximately 1 000 Rangers a month via Port Elizabeth, which improves our efficiency and delivery timeframes to Europe where the Ranger is the top-selling bakkie."
New Ranger arrives, next Mustang on way
The New Ranger, which debuted in April 2018, coincided with the launch of the advanced new 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo and Single Turbo four-cylinder diesel engines, matched to a new 10-speed auto that contributes towards the latest model’s exceptional performance and efficiency.The latest Mustang is due to arrive in South Africa during in the second half of this year.
The updated range boasts extensive performance, technology and equipment enhancements linked to a sleeker design which makes it more appealing than ever.And there’s the allure of the limited-edition Mustang Bullitt that will be the most exhilarating and highly-prized iteration of this legendary nameplate to date.
Image: Ford
Committed to South Africa
Currently Ford employs approximately 4300 people in South Africa within its local operations. Additionally, it supports around 50 000 jobs within the value chain amongst its suppliers.
Hill says: "As one of the country’s leading automotive manufacturers and exporters, Ford plays an important role in the prosperity and sustainability of the sector and the many thousands of people that it supports.
"The automotive industry is key to job creation in South Africa, and the importance of enhancing our global competitiveness and growing our export business cannot be understated."
Ford continues to invest in its employees and in the broader community with an extensive range of development and empowerment initiatives. The company has a wide range of community projects aimed at uplifting the communities in which it operates – with the most notable example being the Ford Resource and Engagement Centre (FREC) near its Pretoria plant, which is supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company.
The FREC facility provides education and training programmes for members of the local community to upskill and equip them for permanent job opportunities, or as entrepreneurs. The project was bolstered last year with the launch of the Booth Schoch Future Success Fund, established by former company executives Lewis Booth and Dave Schoch.
Image: Ford
This fund provides grants to local community members who participate in FREC training programmes to help them take the next step in their employment journey.
Starting in 2018, a $10 000 grant is awarded annually for a period of 10 years.A number of other projects are backed by the Ford Motor Company Fund locally, including its efforts to promote road safety through Ford Driving Skills for Life, as well as its employee volunteer programmes which are spearheaded by the annual Ford Global Caring Month held each year in September.
In 2018, almost R2-million was allocated to 25 employee volunteer projects completed in South Africa and several Sub-Saharan African countries where over 12 000 employee hours were dedicated to improving the lives of others.Additional grants are awarded for disaster relief and specific upliftment projects, such as the most recent phase of the Ford Blue Village project in Nelson Mandela Bay which built 30 transit homes in the community of Langa, Uitenhage, for the poor, elderly and child-headed households.
Image: Ford
Ford South Africa also has a proud legacy supporting the conservation of wildlife and ecosystems across the region over the past three decades, having invested around R40-million to assist more than 170 conservation projects.
The Ford Wildlife Foundation (FWF) was established by FMCSA and its dealer network in 2014 to bolster environmental education, research and conservation projects, and Ford provides Rangers to partner organisations to enable the projects to go further and make a real impact in the areas and communities in which they operate.