The first next-generation Ranger has rolled off the line at Ford’s Silverton assembly plant, the South African facility becoming the third in the world to commence production of the new bakkie.
The location will churn out 200,000 units per year which will be shipped to local dealers as well as to over 100 markets worldwide.
Silverton joins the likes of two other factories in Thailand and two complete knock-down (CKD) facilities in Vietnam and Cambodia, with two more plants in Argentina and the US to start production in 2023.
Local is lekker
Ford has invested a total of R15.8 billion in its South African operations to improve quality control and streamline production of the next-gen Ranger.
At the Silverton factory alone, R10.3 billion went into constructing the first on-site 10,320m² body stamping plant and a highly-automated 44,000m² body shop with 493 robots, as well as into refinements in the trim, chassis, and final lines, said the manufacturer.
As a result, the facility now boasts “the world’s only Ford-owned and operated chassis manufacturing plant” in the world, said Andrea Cavallaro, director of operations at Ford IMG.
For improved quality control measures, the automaker implemented in-line “Perceptron” measurement systems that provide accurate scanning of every part produced, as well as a blue light scanner system to create highly-detailed 3D models of manufactured components.
A further R5.5 billion was spent on tooling at the manufacturer’s major supplier companies.
Down in the Eastern Cape, Ford injected a total of R600 million into its Struandale engine plant in Gqeberha which produces all the motors used in the next-gen bakkies in South Africa and its export markets, including both 2.2 and 3.2-litre Duratorq units, the 2.0-litre single and bi-turbo variants, and the all-new 3.0-litre V6.
“The investment in Struandale Engine Plant has helped Ford introduce the new 3.0l V6 diesel engine program, comprising cylinder head machining and engine assembly,” said Ford.
“Upgrades for the next-gen Ranger were also implemented on the existing assembly line for the 2.0l single turbo and 2.0l bi-turbo diesel engines.”
In total, the investment added 1,200 jobs to the network, and Ford now directly employs 5,500 individuals.
Ranger in South Africa
The Ranger is a well-known nameplate in South Africa, with the outgoing generation being on the market since 2011.
During this time, a grand total of 873,751 examples were produced at Silverton, and of these, roughly 603,000 were sent to export markets, leaving the remaining 271,00 in the hands of local customers.
The Ranger line-up was bolstered by the Everest SUV variant in 2016, and then again with the high-performance Ranger Raptor in 2019.
While these models were built alongside the normal bakkie at Silverton during this time, they will now be sourced from Thailand while local production will be reserved for the Ranger and upcoming VW Amarok bakkies.
Ford Silverton Assembly Plant
Ford Struandale Engine Plant
Keyword: First next-gen Ford Ranger rolls off South African production line