Chennai: Ford India has launched production of diesel engines at its new, state-of the-art engine assembly plant at Maramalai Nagar, Chennai, for use in the popular midsize Ford Fiesta and Ford Fusion product lines. The new US$26 million assembly plant officially went online in late April, and has an annual capacity of 60,000 units.

The 10,000sqm assembly plant includes a cylinder block machining line capable of producing 50,000 diesel and 10,000 petrol engine blocks. The first engines being produced are the 1.4-litre turbodiesel Duratorq engines.

The new engine assembly plant created an additional 200 technical and engineering positions, increasing overall employment at Ford India to 2300. Ford India also added 25 new local suppliers to its supply network to support the new diesel engine assembly operations, which help to contribute nearly 50 percent local content to the diesel engines.

”This world-class facility will help position Ford India as a strategic manufacturing hub for low displacement powertrain engines within our Asia Pacific and Africa region,” explained Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India. "These diesel engines will initially supply vehicle production for the domestic market. During the next phase of expansion, this assembly operation will be seamlessly integrated into a highly-flexible engine manufacturing facility."

The assembly line is built to Ford’s global manufacturing standards and quality, with a completely climate controlled enclosure that ensures a dust-free environment. In-station process verifications (IPVs), including compression leak testing and 100 percent Hot Test technology, ensure that each engine exceeds specification.

The assembly facility is green, clean and environmentally safe and adheres to the highest clean-zone standards. The plant also boasts robotic washing and electronic controls to verify the assembly process.

Ford India has validated its assembly processes through internal and external evaluations. Rigorous tests have been conducted by Ford of Europe, Ford of Australia and Ford India for production validation and vehicle testing, and component quality testing has been verified by suppliers at ARAI, Pune.

"The domestic assembly of these engines will facilitate quicker time-to-market response, and greatly enhance the efficiencies of our operations," concluded Boneham.