Photo: Ford Motor Company
The Ford Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, has earned a trio of 2019 Exporters Eastern Cape awards, recognizing its commitment to environmental responsibility, job creation, and bolstering the economy of the Eastern Cape region.
Struandale Engine Plant earned the IDC Job Creation Award by virtue of creating sustainable jobs revolving around the export of products to global markets. The plant also took home the SJM Flex Environmental Award for environmental management; over the past five years, Ford has undertaken initiatives that reduce the amount of water used and waste sent to landfills in the production process while also planting over 100 indigenous trees on the facility’s grounds.
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Ford Struandale Engine Plant also earned the title of Best Exporter OEM for the auto industry because of the plant’s key role in the financial growth and stability of Port Elizabeth.
“The Exporter of the Year awards recognize the outstanding work our team has done to achieve volume growth and introduce a second diesel engine program in a highly competitive global automotive market, as well as a domestic economic environment that remains under pressure,” said John Cameron, Plant Manager of the Struandale Engine Plant.
Production of the 2.0-liter Bi-Turbo and Single Turbo diesel engines at the Struandale Engine Plant has kicked up this year thanks to the addition of a new assembly line that boosts annual output to over 120,000 units.
The engines are used in the popular Ford Ranger, Ranger Raptor, and Everest, the former most of which is a major export product for European and other global markets. The first shipments of new Ford Ranger trucks left Port Elizabeth in April of this year, further adding to Ford’s value in the local economy.
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