Lewis Booth, Ford’s Executive VP and CFO, said the engine would help drive the company’s transformation in SA and was a key reason the all-new Ranger pickup truck was a class leader in such a globally competitive segment. “The new Ford Ranger will be exported from SA to 148 markets around the world, solidifying SA’s role as a key operation in Ford’s global manufacturing footprint.” Booth continued that these engines would not only power the new Ranger, but also the transformation of Ford in SA as well as internationally, and at the same time, power economic growth in Port Elizabeth. He expressed confidence on behalf of FMCSA, in its employees, in the country and in their joint future. According to Booth, ambitious global goals for the middle of the decade had recently been laid out for the FMC worldwide. Among these was a commitment to increasing its sales to 8-million units annually, which was about a 50% increase on what it was sold in 2010.
“Within that, Asia Pacific and Africa will play a key role in this plan, providing an increasing amount of production and customers to fuel Ford’s growth and increase our market share.” “By 2020, 32% of Ford’s sales will come from the region, up from 15% today. That means the importance of operations in places like Port Elizabeth can only continue to grow.” Jeff Nemeth, FMCSA’s President and CE, said the project was approved in 2009 at a time when a couple of its competitors in the US had filed for bankruptcy. Ford was fighting for its survival at the time because of the global economic downturn, and money was not available from banks. It was against this backdrop that the board of directors had the confidence to support the investment of R3.4bn in the engine plant and the assembly plant in Silverton, he said. Nemeth said Ford had been building this engine since 2001 and had spent 10 years refining it, to make it best in class, in power and fuel economy. It had a towing capacity of 3 300 kg, which was also best in its class. According to Nemeth, the engine plant was a global one and would compete with any plant in the company. “It’s now not only the South African economy that drives our plant and our future. We are now part of the global economy and the ‘One Ford’ system. What that means is that we have a sustainable future and we are going to be here for a long, long time. That is important for all of us.”
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