Jul 07, 2023 Ockert Berry, Ford South Africa
Ford ramps up production of Next-Gen Ranger
Ford’s major investment in its South African operations for the Next-Generation Ranger is delivering on its ambitious targets, achieving record production and the highest quality levels to date for the Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria.
Reinforcing the segment-defining quality, technology, safety and performance of the locally produced Next-Gen Ranger, it was recently announced as the South African Car of the Year for 2023, becoming the first bakkie to earn the coveted title since the competition began in 1986.
“The extensive modernisation and expansion of our local operations was focused on delivering must-have products of the highest quality to our customers in South Africa and more than 100 export markets around the world,” says Ockert Berry, VP Operations at Ford South Africa. “We are proud to be achieving all of our targets, and seeing demand for the Next-Gen Ranger exceeding all expectations, both locally and internationally.”
As part of the major investment program announced in 2021, Ford constructed its first on-site Stamping Plant, built a completely new highly automated Body Shop, and modernized its assembly line with the latest production technologies. The only Ford-owned and operated Chassis Plant was constructed in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) adjacent to the Silverton plant, and a specially developed Vehicle Modification Centre was installed to fit factory-approved accessories to customer vehicles prior to delivery, using the same quality controls and processes as the main vehicle assembly line.
“We certainly aren’t resting on our laurels and continue to invest in further upgrades to our Silverton Assembly Plant to further improve quality and efficiency, bolster our commitment to sustainability, and create a world-class working environment for our employees,” Berry says.
The Silverton Assembly Plant has an installed capacity for producing up to 200 000 vehicles per year – the highest volume yet for this facility, which assembles the Next-Gen Ranger as well as Volkswagen pickups as part of the Ford-VW strategic alliance. Based on three-shift 24-hour production, the plant is capable of producing up to 720 vehicles per day.
“We started production of the Next-Gen Ranger in the middle of November last year, and have steadily implemented our scheduled rate of climb as we kicked off with the Ranger Double Cab models, and followed this up with the Single Cab and Super Cab derivatives early this year,” Berry says. “We recently achieved our highest daily production number yet of 704 vehicles. We are delighted with the volumes and, crucially, the exceptional quality of the vehicles coming out of the plant.
“There’s been a major improvement in first-time-through (FTT), which is a measure of the quality of production components and processes without having to do any repairs or reworks on the line,” Berry says. “This contributes to the efficiency of our vehicle production and is vital to achieving the required volumes, and ultimately means the best quality products for our customers.”
All of the engines that power the Next-Gen Ranger are produced at Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant in Gqeberha. The Struandale plant won the overall Exporter of the Year title in 2022 from Exporters Eastern Cape, signifying the important role it plays in the automotive industry in Nelson Mandela Bay. The Struandale Engine Plant currently produces the impressive new 3.0L V6 Diesel engine that is fitted to the top-spec Ranger Wildtrak, and is responsible for machining the V6 cylinder heads and engine assembly. It is built on the same line that assembles the 2.2L four-cylinder and 3.2L five-cylinder Duratorq TDCi engines – making it the only Ford plant in the world that produces in-line and V-configuration engines (and a combination of four, five and six-cylinder engines) on a single line. The installed capacity for the line is 130 000 engines per year. Ford’s renowned four-cylinder 2.0L Single Turbo and 2.0L Bi-Turbo engines are assembled on a separate line, with the facility and both engines upgraded for the Next-Generation Ranger. It has an installed capacity for 120 000 engines per annum.
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