Ford boosts Chennai engine plant capacity

Ford India’s Chennai engine plant has completed its capacity expansion programme that has made it the company’s regional small engine hub. The plant will now be able to produce 3,60,000 engines annually which is an increase of 36 per cent. The plant now produces 12 Duratec petrol engine variants and five Duratorq diesel engine variants, nearly 40 per cent of which will be exported. 

Ford has invested $72 million (Rs 396.6 crore) in the expansion of the Chennai engine plant. Also part of the expansions are enhanced crankshaft machining, cylinder head and cylinder block machining thanks to new equipment.

The expansion programme was completed in just over 14 months and will allow Ford India to produce 80,000 more diesel engines annually. This will cater to the Indian market demand for diesel cars. Ford has incorporated a flexi PowerTrain facility as a part of the expansion whereby a single flexible production line will be able to manufacture petrol or diesel engines according to the demand pattern of the market. Also read: Ford launches New Classic Titanium Variant

The Chennai engine plant has also become the first Ford plant in the world that has a flexible production line for manufacturing petrol and diesel engines. It is also Ford’s first engine plant to run a flexible crankshaft production line, a fully flexible cold test, hot test, dyno test facility for petrol and diesel engines. 

The ongoing expansion has already resulted in the recruitment of 200 new employees. 

“We are delighted to see this new addition to our capacity in the engine plant as we gear up to the next stage of growth in India and the region. We are at an interesting phase of growth with the markets demanding swift responses from manufacturers, and I am proud to say that with this plant’s amazingly flexible production lines of both petrol and diesel engines, we are well poised to move quickly,” said Michael Boneham, President and Managing Director, Ford India. 

Boneham and plant Chief Balasundaram Radhakrishnan, Vice President, Powertrain Operations, Ford India celebrated the 400,000th engine produced at the plant. 

“This is a special occasion for all of us at the Chennai engine plant. Commissioning this facility in record time is a tremendous milestone and just adds to the many significant achievements this plant has in terms of Quality, Safe, Smart and Green,” said Radhakrishnan.

Ford India will be manufacturing and exporting the 1.6-litre TiVCT, 1.4 HC and Duratorq engines to South Africa, Thailand and Taiwan.