The Ford Motor Company has opened a new USD450 million state-of-the-art passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand. This new plant is capable of building a diverse range of vehicles and will serve as the foundation for Ford’s plan to introduce eight all-new global One Ford vehicles to the ASEAN region in the next few years.
This is where the latest Ford Focus will be built for the region and is Ford’s 2nd plant in Thailand and we in Malaysia have missed out on this huge investment and thousands of job opportunities. Along with China and India, Thailand serves as one of the key global production and export hubs for the Ford Motor Company. Ford Thailand Manufacturing has an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles increasing the company’s annual capacity in Thailand to 445,000 making Ford one of the largest producers and exporters of vehicles in the country. The new Thailand facility is equipped with state-of-the-art automation that showcases Ford’s global manufacturing processes and systems. This includes one of the world’s fastest stamping presses, and the latest in automotive manufacturing robot technologies in the body shop.
The production line is designed for maximum flexibility, enabling it to produce six different types of vehicles simultaneously which means more Ford cars and SUV’s will be made here for the regional markets.
The paint shop utilizes Ford’s environmentally-friendly and revolutionary Three-Wet high-solids paint process, which improves paint quality, depth and durability, and significantly reduces volatile organic compounds, CO2 emissions and waste.
By maximizing a wide range of state-of-the-art technologies including rotational dip technology, the re-circulation of air, and recovering heat energy from the oven exhaust the paint shop is able to return massive water, energy and environment savings.
Buildings at the new facility are naturally ventilated with louvers that allow daylight to provide illumination. Energy-efficient LED bulbs are used instead of incandescent bulbs, producing energy savings and reducing heat generation. The plant also features an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and makes use of local and recycled materials.
