Ford received the “Exporter of the Year 2022” award from Exporters EC | Biden News

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GQEBERHA, South Africa, 24 October 2022: Ford Motor Company’s Struandale engine plant in Geberg has been crowned the overall winner of the Exporters Eastern Cape Exporter of the Year 2022 award, the announcement was made at the prestigious awards’ 27th gala dinner held at the Boardwalk Convention Center on Friday , October 21, 2022.

More than just the “Exporter of the Year 2022” award.

As well as winning the top prize, the Struandale engine plant won the Best Original Equipment Manufacturer OEM Exporter category – the fifth time Ford has won the title. It also received the IDC Job Creator Merit Award for the third time, winning twice in the category.

“We are honored and privileged to be named Exporter of the Year for 2022 and this is the first time we have won the overall award,” said Sean Govender, Ford Struandale Engine Plant Manager. “This is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the entire Ford team to ensure the sustainability and relevance of our business both here in Nelson Mandela Bay and overseas as part of Ford’s global manufacturing network.”

This success comes on the back of Ford’s R600m investment in the Struandale engine plant last year to add a new 3.0L V6 diesel engine programme. This includes cylinder head machining and engine assembly, making this the third family of diesel engines currently in production at the plant and its 11th engine program to date.

“The launch of the V6 diesel engine required a high level of innovation and ingenuity from our team, as it is built on the same line as our existing 2.2L and 3.2L Duratorq TDCi engines, although it has been enlarged and thoroughly upgraded with significant quality improvements,” said Oscar Sundu, assistant manager of the Ford Struandale Engine Plant. “This makes it the only Ford plant in the world to produce in-line and V-engines on the same line, which was important for us to contain the necessary investment costs and ensure our global cost competitiveness. per unit.”

The investment also helped upgrade the existing 2.0L Single Turbo and 2.0L Bi-Turbo engine assembly line, with both engine programs supporting Ford’s highest-ever installed capacity for the Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria, where production of the highly anticipated Next will begin. – Ford Ranger pickup of a generation later this year. Following a R15.8 billion investment in Silverton units and supplier tooling, Ford now has the installed capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles per year for domestic sales and export to more than 100 global markets.

“At the heart of each of these vehicles is the engine, which is proudly produced at the Struandale Engine Plant,” said Okert Berry, vice president of Ford South Africa operations. “With more than two-thirds of the cars we produce for export markets, this is a major export achievement for the Struandale divisions, as well as our employees and supplier network.”

Since 2011, the Struandale plant has been machining Duratorq TDCi cylinder heads, blocks and crankshafts used for local engine assembly and export to other engine plants around the world. By the end of 2021, almost 7 million machines were manufactured, of which more than 4.2 million were exported.

Fully assembled Duratorq TDCi engines are produced for export customers and for Ford’s assembly operations in Pretoria. Production of the Duratorq TDCi engine began in 2011, followed by the 2.0-liter SiT/BiT engines in 2019. Both were used in the Ford Ranger pickup truck and the current-generation Everest SUV for domestic sales and export markets.

The Struandale engine factory opened its doors in 1964 and by the end of last year more than 3.8 million engines had been produced. This has contributed to Ford’s extremely proud heritage in the Eastern Cape, which dates back to 1923 when the South African Ford Motor Company was founded in Gkeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

The Struandale engine plant currently employs approximately 850 full-time and hourly workers, with permanent subcontractors bringing this number to approximately 1,300, as well as thousands of additional jobs at supplier companies. In total, Ford South Africa employs approximately 5,500 people, providing approximately 60,000 jobs across the total value chain.

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Posted by Ford South Africa on Quickpic News

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