Ford India confirms fresh investment in Tamil Nadu

Following close on the heels of its Figo Aspire launch from the Sanand plant in Gujarat, Ford Motor Company has taken the next step forward in India by confirming a new investment dedicated towards expanding operations in Tamil Nadu. The American carmaker already has a manufacturing presence at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai where it manufactures both engines and vehicles.

This new investment will add to the company’s previous investment in India of $2 billion and will go towards future capacity expansion at Ford’s Chennai plant and the establishment of a new global engineering and technology centre.

Representatives from Ford and the government of Tamil Nadu today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Global Investor Meet, paving the way for a Ford campus spread across 28 acres of land.

“India is at the centre of innovation at Ford and we are delighted to strengthen our presence with a new global engineering and technology centre,” said Dave Schoch, president of Ford Asia Pacific. “This is the next chapter of our India journey. With these latest investments, we are making rapid progress in our vision of driving innovation from India to the world.”

Besides the establishment of a global engineering and technology centre, the new Ford campus will host operations of Ford’s Global Business Services in the areas of IT, product engineering, finance and accounting, data analytics and manufacturing among others.

“Chennai is Ford’s first home in India and we are glad to strengthen our commitment to its people through this proposed expansion and job creation. We would like to thank the Tamil Nadu government and the chief minister Dr J. Jayalalithaa for the continued support,” added Schoch.

Spread over 300 acres, the Ford Chennai plant currently has an installed annual capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles and 340,000 engines. Ford’s operations in Tamil Nadu also include global business services, with offices at Chennai and Coimbatore. 

In March 2015, Ford India expanded its manufacturing presence and inaugurated its latest, integrated vehicle assembly and engine manufacturing facility at Sanand, Gujarat. The $1-billion facility in Gujarat produces the Aspire sedan and the soon-to-be-launched new Figo hatchback.

Vehicles and engines made at these two plants are exported globally with plans underway to sell made-in-India products to as many as 50 countries across the globe.

The carmaker currently employs a workforce of 14,000 across its manufacturing and global business services operations in India. It also provides indirect employment through its sales and service network including 341 touch-points across 186 cities, of which more than 40 percent are located in Tier 2-4 markets.

More from Tamil Nadu:

- TVS Motor inks MoU with Tamil Nadu for new investment of Rs 350 crore

- Mahindra signs MoU to invest Rs 2,000 crore in Tamil Nadu

- Yamaha Motor opens new two-wheeler plant in state