American automobile giant Ford Motor Company inaugurated a new manufacturing facility in Sanand (Gujarat), on 26th March. This integrated production facility features state-of-the-art infrastructure including a platform for manufacturing world-class engines. According to sources, the first car to be rolled out from this plant will be the Ford Figo Aspire, the sub-four metre compact sedan that is likely to compete with Honda Amaze, Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire and Hyundai Xcent.
Mark Fields, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ford, was present at the event and spoke about this development. "With the opening of our plant in Sanand, we have taken our growth commitment to a new high in India. We are doubling our manufacturing capacity in India, creating good jobs and serving our customers around the world with great products," he said.
The American manufacturer first broke ground in 2011 and has, since then, invested in excess of US $1 billion in production facilities at Sanand, which is spread over an area of around 460 acres. According to the report, the initial installed annual capacity of the new plant will be 240000 units for cars and 270000 for engines. In the initial period, the plant will have a working capacity of 2500 employees and shall operate in a single shift method. The extended employment level through the supplier chain and other branches is likely to go up to 7500 people, which is quite commendable.
Nigel Harris, the President and Managing Director of Ford India, spoke about the firm’s abilities and plans. "With some of the world's best technologies, Ford is stronger than ever to meet the needs of Indian customers and provide them what they need and aspire for," he said. “The state-of-the-art press shop, for example, will not only ensure that we produce the highest quality parts, but it will also maintain an exceptionally clean environment for employees with positive ventilation being deployed,” he added further.
Interestingly, a three-wet paint process is going to be applied by Ford at this facility. This innovative process allows three coatings of paint to be applied on the car and dried at the same time. The biggest USP of this process is its efficiency and ability to minimise wastage, emissions and energy consumption.
