Remember Ford South Africa’s announcement that the last of the previous-generation Rangers have left its Silverton assembly line? Well, the local arm of the Blue Oval brand has now announced that production of the next-generation Ranger has finally kicked off, with the firm’s Pretoria-based production facility becoming the third plant to commence production of the new Ford Ranger, which will be sold in SA and exported to “more than” 100 markets across the globe.
“The start of Next-Gen Ranger production in South Africa highlights our commitment to delivering must-have products for our customers, not just in South Africa but around the world,” said Dianne Craig, president of Ford International Markets Group (IMG). “South Africa is an important part of our global Ranger manufacturing network, and it is fantastic to witness the $1.05 billion investment being utilised to modernise and transform the Silverton Assembly Plant to produce vehicles of the absolute best quality for customers around the world.”
The start of the manufacturing process of the new Ford Ranger follows the firm’s investment of R15.8 billion in the SA plant. The expanded operations in SA have contributed to creating 1 200 new jobs, taking Ford SA’s workforce to 5 500 employees. The automaker’s supplier network has also benefitted, with “approximately” 10 000 jobs added across the value chain.
“We have put immense effort, resources, and the latest technologies in place to ensure that the Next-Gen Ranger is truly world-class and that the Silverton plant globally equals the very best,” said Andrea Cavallaro, Director Operations, Ford IMG.
In addition to the Silverton plant, Ford has invested R600 000 into its Struandale Engine Plant in Gqeberha, which produces the engines for the new Ford Ranger. The company says this has helped it to introduce the new 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine. Upgrades were also made to the assembly line of the 2.0-litre single turbo and twin-turbo diesel units.