Ford Ramps Up Ranger Production at Silverton Assembly Plant
![Ranger production at Silverton Assembly Plant](https://thenewswheel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Ford-Ranger-Production-Increases-South-Africa-1.jpg)
In response to the early success of the new Ranger and first-ever Ranger Raptor, Ford has announced that it will add a third shift at the Silverton Assembly Plant in South Africa. According to Ford, Ranger sales were at a record year-to-date high through the second quarter of 2019, and it is currently Europe’s best-selling pickup truck with a commanding 30.4 percent market share through May.
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The addition of a third shift at Silverton will add 1,200 new jobs in Pretoria, boosting the total number of employees to 5,500. It will also increase supplier jobs by around 10,000, increasing the number of jobs Ford supports throughout its chain of production to about 60,000. The added shift is enabled by an investment in South African manufacturing first announced by Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa in 2017.
![Ranger production at Silverton Assembly Plant](https://thenewswheel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Ford-Ranger-Production-Increases-South-Africa-2-760x506.jpg)
“The investment enabled extensive reworks at the Silverton Assembly Plant to expand our production capacity from 124,000 vehicles per year to 168,000 units, which is 58,000 vehicles more than our original capacity when the current Ranger program commenced in 2011,” said Ockert Berry, Vice President Operations, Ford Middle East and Africa. “The third shift will allow us to ramp up our production from the current 506 vehicles assembled per day to a peak of 720 units to satisfy the strong demand from customers in South Africa, as well as for our crucial exports to 148 markets around the world.”
Ford estimates that two thirds of all South African Ranger production accommodates global markets, and its responsibility in production of the Ranger — including the Struandale Engine Plant’s role in building the 2.2-liter and 3.2-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine — makes it particularly crucial for the automaker’s success abroad.
Earlier this year, Ford announced that it would export Ranger trucks through Port Elizabeth, helping get trucks to Europe and other markets quicker and most cost-effectively.
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