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New Ranger to spark big rise in production and exports from Ford’s Silverton plant

3rd December 2021

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Ford South Africa (SA) is on schedule with its R15.8-billion expansion programme to significantly boost its exports from the Silverton plant in Pretoria as from next year, says Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill.

Ford SA will produce the new-generation Ranger pick-up at the Tshwane plant, starting in 2022.

The local arm of the US vehicle maker produced about 732 000 units of the current Ranger model from 2011 to 2021.

“The expansion of the production facility will enable us to build 200 000 vehicles a year – 32 000 units more than before,” says Hill.

The vast majority of these vehicles will be exported.

“The next-generation Ranger . . . will be produced for more than a hundred left- and right-hand-drive markets globally, including markets across Africa,” notes Hill.

To realise the new production targets, the Silverton assembly line has undergone extensive transformation focused on modernising the facility, enhancing efficiency and improving production quality throughout the plant.

Additionally, Ford is currently constructing a new body shop and stamping plant on the Silverton site, along with an in-house frame line in the newly developed adjacent Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ).

“Our entire focus is on being world-class and comparable with the best Ford manufacturing plants globally,” says Hill.

“This is essential as we work towards delivering the required production volumes and achieving the highest quality levels for our customers.”

The expanded Ranger production programme will help create 1 200 incremental Ford jobs in South Africa, increasing the local workforce to 5 500 employees, while also adding an estimated 10 000 new jobs across the automaker’s local supplier network, bringing the total to 60 000 jobs, notes Hill.

Ford will also build a new vehicle modification centre, as well as a new training centre, with the latter to ensure all Ford employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to maximise the efficiencies of the enhanced Silverton facility.

Expanded production at the Silverton plant will include the new Volkswagen Amarok bakkie, as part of a global agreement between Ford and the German automaker, and will account for some of the added capacity at the facility.

New Rail Link, Africa
Ford continues to work closely with all three spheres of government and relevant State-owned entities, such as Transnet, in developing the Gauteng Province (GP) to Eastern Cape Province (EC) High-Capacity Rail Freight Corridor, says Hill.

This corridor is set to be a full-service line linking the Silverton assembly plant and the TASEZ with Port Elizabeth, which is home to Ford’s Struandale engine plant and the Coega Special Economic Zone.

The GP-EC High-Capacity Rail Freight Corridor will channel all of Ford’s inbound and outbound logistics exclusively through Port Elizabeth to support the facility’s higher production volumes, says Hill.

“It is projected to create thousands of jobs within the value chain.”

Moving to the Port Elizabeth corridor means that Ford will avoid the increasingly congested and underperforming port of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal.

When looking at the broader African context, Hill notes that it is crucial that the US carmaker aligns its business with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), as this will “play an important role in developing a winning strategy for Ford across Africa”.

“AfCFTA is a key component of the African Union’s (AU’s) Agenda 2063, which aims to boost the continent’s socioeconomic growth,” he adds.

“It would do so by accelerating the industrialisation of Africa, integrating regional markets, stimulating growth, and supporting the welfare of its people.

“Underpinning that is the role of faster, easier, more economically viable trade and trade networks.”

After the World Trade Organisation, AfCFTA is the world’s largest trade agreement, with 54 signatories, says Hill.

“This holds great promise, for not only the continent, but also for the automotive sector.

“AFCFTA presents as the best investment stimulus we have available, by creating an integrated market for goods and services and the free movement of people and capital.

“In our work with the AU and the AfCFTA secretariat, we see a deep desire to deliver its full potential,” notes Hill.

“With strong intergovernmental partnerships and an enabling legislative environment that allows ease of business, Africa can compensate for setbacks and chart a course for sustained economic growth, driven by industrialisation and trade.

“We can leverage economies of scale, volume, and improved skill sets to facilitate Africa as an automotive powerhouse.”

The New Ranger
The new Ranger bakkie – or the new Ranger midsize truck, as it is known in the US – abides by the trend of the expanded use of bakkies in recent years: it’s no longer just about work, but also about play.

The next-generation Ranger project was led by Ford’s Product Development Centre in Australia.

The bakkie’s new design features a square new grille, as well as C-clamp headlights at the front. For the first time, the Ranger also offers matrix LED headlights.

Beneath the new bodywork, the upgraded chassis rides on a wheelbase 50 mm longer and a track 50 mm wider than the previous Ranger.

A hydro-formed front-end structure creates more space in the engine bay for the new V6 engine and helps futureproof the Ranger for other propulsion technologies, such as plug-in-hybrid technology.

It also opens up the front of the pick-up to allow more airflow to the radiator, which helps keep running temperatures low when towing or carrying heavy loads.

To ease access to the load bin, Ford has created an integrated side-step behind the rear tyres of the vehicle.

In addition, the Ranger team worked to ensure that a wider variety of cargo could fit and stay secure in the load box, by widening the truck by 50 mm.

It means that customers will be able to load flat items such as a sheet of building plywood or a full-size pallet into the bin.

Other touches include a new plastic- moulded bedliner that helps protect the truck bed from scratches.

In addition, the Ranger offers a new cargo management system designed with dividers to hold various sized items, such timber or toolboxes.

Owners also can create smaller compartments to store objects which would otherwise have to go in the cab, using a system of spring-loaded cleats that clip into rails bolted to each side of the cargo box.

The tailgate can also double as a mobile work bench with an integrated ruler and clamp pockets to measure, grip and cut building materials.

Zone lighting provides 360º lighting around the truck to help give customers better visibility around the vehicle.

Load-box lighting is provided under the left- and right-hand rails.

As noted earlier, the new Ranger also adds a 3ℓ V6 turbodiesel engine as one of three turbodiesel engine options available at launch, depending on the market.

The next-generation Ranger will also come with a choice of a single-turbo and bi-turbo 2ℓ inline four-cylinder diesel engines.

In addition, the bakkie will be available with a 2.3ℓ EcoBoost four-cylinder petrol engine.

New transmission choices include an updated ten-speed auto or six-speed manual, complementing the current six-speed automatic.

Customers will also have a choice of two four-wheel-drive systems: an electronic shift-on-the-fly system, or a full-time 4 × 4 system with a set-and- forget mode, designed for off-road capability when and where customers need it.

Inside the Ranger, the heart of the connective experience is the 10.1 inch or 12 inch portrait touchscreen in the centre stack.

It complements the digital instrument panel and is loaded with Ford’s SYNC4 system, which comes customer-ready with voice-activated communications, entertainment and information systems.

Additionally, there’s an embedded factory- fitted modem, allowing connectivity on the go when linked with the FordPass App, so customers can stay connected.

FordPass enhances the ownership experience with features like remote start, vehicle status check and remote lock and unlock functions through a mobile device.

Many of the traditional driving mode controls have been moved from the dash and centre console to their own dedicated display on the SYNC screen, where drivers can go to a dedicated screen for all off-road and drive modes to monitor the driveline, steering angle, vehicle pitch and roll angles and other controls.

The screen also is linked to a 360º camera to ensure easier manoeuvrability in tight urban spaces, or to assist when negotiating particularly tricky terrain.

The Ranger cabin also features many places to store a phone or charge it wirelessly (in markets where compatible).

In addition to revealing the next-generation Ranger, Ford has outlined its “always-on” commitment to customers, with a host of services centred around convenience on their terms.

Depending on the market, these include service pickup and delivery, a Ranger Concierge program, and online service booking options.

“When we reimagined the Ranger, we set out to create more than just a great new pick-up truck; we set out to design a great experience as well,” says Ford International Markets Group president Dianne Craig.

“We are a family company, and we want our customers to feel like part of our family. The vehicle sale is just the beginning of our journey together.”

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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