Ford Motor Company (Facebook)
The 2.0-litre four-cylinder Bi-Turbo engine will be installed in the new Ranger Bakkie at Ford's Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria.
The milestone is accompanied by the production of a 300,000 single-turbo diesel engine that has been produced at the Struandale Plant since its inception in 2018.
This engine family is revered for its impressive performance, reliability and fuel economy, with the Single Turbo version powering Ranger to its class win in the 2019 WesBank Fuel Economy Tour.
The Ranger is produced for domestic sales and exports to more than 100 global markets with an installed capacity for producing up to 200, 000 vehicles per year.
Ford says this makes the Ranger one of SA's leading exports, all powered by engines supplied by the Struandale plant.
In 2022, these engines were updated for the new Ranger with further improvements in noise, vibration and harshness for even greater comfort and refinement.
"Our plant in Gqeberha remains a cornerstone of the automotive industry in Nelson Mandela Bay and is a vital part of our local manufacturing operations. Our major investments in this facility, in the Silverton Assembly Plant and at our suppliers in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone for the new Ranger have confirmed Ford's commitment to South Africa, supporting much-needed job creation and economic development for the country," says Ockert Berry, from Ford.
Shawn Govender, Struandale plant manager reiterated that innovation and creative thinking have been consistent hallmarks of the Struandale teams over the years.
"The assembly line that produces the 3.0L V6 turbodiesel engine for the new Ranger still assembles our existing Duratorq TDCi engines, making it the only facility of its kind in the Ford world that produces both V-configuration and in-line engines, as well as a combination of four, five and six-cylinder units, all on a single line."
He also mentioned that in the past year, they have placed a lot of focus on job creation and supporting the surrounding communities with skills development and training through leadership, apprenticeship and experimental trainee programs.
Aside from the current component machining and engine assembly operations, lesser known are the numerous other products that were manufactured at Struandale over the years.
This included wheel hubs, brake discs and drums, engine inlet and exhaust manifolds, water and oil pumps, conrods and flywheels.
It was also responsible for the remanufacturing of Ford's Dorset diesel truck engines and the Essex V6 and CVH petrol engines, along with remanufactured power steering racks and automatic gearboxes for the Cortina and Granada.
Ford's long and proud history in South Africa is inextricably linked to Gqeberha where Ford Motor Company of South Africa was founded in 1923.
Some 41 years later, Henry Ford II officially opened the Struandale Engine Plant, with an investment of R8 million at the time.
This positioned Ford as the first motor company in South Africa to manufacture engines locally and has played a central role in Ford's manufacturing and export operations ever since.
