Ford South Africa has commenced the production of the next-generation Ranger’s chassis at its new frame plant adjacent to its Silverton factory.
This marks the final step in the manufacturer’s R15.8-billion investment project that saw extensive upgrades performed at the factory in preparation for building the new Ranger and VW Amarok bakkies.
The frame line is the only Ford-owned and operated chassis manufacturing facility in the world, covering an area of 100,000m² and boasting the “most advanced robotic manufacturing and quality control systems currently available,” said the blue oval.
Eliminating imperfections
Ford’s new frame plant brings the manufacturing of the chassis in-house allowing for more careful monitoring and quality control every step of the way.
The facility features two identical production lines that manufacture the steel frames with over 15 different frame derivatives supported to cater to a wide variety of local and exported Ford models.
The plant is 95% automated and relies on 585 robots to assemble the chassis using an automatic intelligent welding system with “I&K Pulse technology” to ensure precise and consistent welds.
Over 1,000 tools including buffers and robot grippers are also on the line to eliminate the need for manual operations that could introduce bigger variances during the production process.
A total of 387 hourly and 25 salaried employees are then on site in a two-shift operating pattern to ensure all the robots operate smoothly, all of whom have completed extensive in-plant training.
Alongside the production area is a multi-stage e-coat facility where the completed frames are covered with cleaning and phosphate solutions before being submerged in an electrically-charged tank for the paint to uniformly bond to the metal.
Thereafter, a robotic station applies a protective wax inside the frame to provide rust protection and durability.
The final step in the chassis-building process involves extensive quality checks including in-line measurement of every single unit as well as blue-light scanning that creates a three-dimensional image of the chassis which is compared to a standardised design to check for irregularities.
A weld tear-down section is also on hand with macro-cutting and etching processes that assess the strength and integrity of the individual welds.
Once the frames are completed, they are stored in a below-ground area with a capacity of 6,000 units before being wheeled to the assembly plant where they are mated with the bakkie’s suspension, braking components, differentials, engine, gearbox, exhaust, fuel tank, cab, and load box.
Ford South Africa frame plant
Keyword: Ford South Africa’s high-tech frame plant starts building the new Ranger’s chassis – Photos