Ford Investing $1.05 Billion in South African Operations
Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company on Tuesday announced that it’s investing $1.05 billion (15.8 billion rand) in South African manufacturing. This is the automaker’s largest single investment over its 97-year history in the region.
Ford’s investment will help the Silverton Assembly Plant produce of the all-new Ford Ranger and Volkswagen trucks built as part of the two brands’ global alliance. This creates 1,200 incremental jobs in South Africa as well as an estimated 10,000 new jobs across the Ford supplier network. Silverton currently employs 4,310 people.
“This investment will further modernize our South African operations, helping them to play an even more important role in the turnaround and growth of our global automotive operations, as well as our strategic alliance with Volkswagen,” said Dianne Craig, president, Ford’s International Markets Group. “Ranger is one of our highest volume, most successful glob
Ford Motor Company on Monday announced it would be shutting down three factories in Brazil as it plans on reorganizing its operations in South America this year.The New York Times notes in its report that the company has long struggled in the region. The automobile manufacturer told the Times that the coronavirus pandemic had exacerbated "persistent industry idle capacity and slow sales that have resulted in years of significant losses."The.
Ford IMG President Mark Ovenden Retiring Feb. 1
Photo: Ford
Ford Motor Company on Tuesday announced a flurry of changes at the executive level. Chief among these is the retirement of Mark Ovenden, current president of the Ford International Markets Group. Ovenden and Gary Johnson, Ford’s chief manufacturing and labor affairs officer, both retire from the company effective Feb. 1.
Ovenden took over as the head of IMG in April 2019, putting him in charge of 100 global markets including Africa, Mexico, and the Middle East. He’s been with Ford since 1985, filling key roles including President of Ford of Russia and President of Ford Middle East and Africa.