Ford India’s Chennai plant has reached a production milestone by
rolling out the one millionth vehicle and engine at its Chennai Vehicle
Assembly and Engine Plant (CVAEP). The company had started its operations in
1999.
The one millionth vehicle to
roll out from the assembly line was the Ford EcoSport. Ford India’s US$ 1
billion manufacturing facility at Chennai makes the Ford EcoSport, Ford Fiesta
and Ford Endeavour.
Spread over 350 acres, the
integrated Chennai complex also houses an engine assembly plant that started
commercial operations in 2008. The engine plant features Ford’s single-flexible
production line, configured to build both petrol and diesel engines
simultaneously. The integrated Chennai facility has an installed capacity to
assemble up to 200,000 vehicles and 340,000 engines a year.
Ford’s Chennai facility also
exports vehicles to more than 40 markets across the globe, including parts of
ASEAN, Europe, Middle-East and Africa.
“Chennai is from where we
started our make in India journey,” Balasundaram Radhakrishnan, executive
director - manufacturing at Ford Chennai Vehicle Assembly & Engine Plant,
said, adding that “Apart from being a global manufacturing hub for Ford, the
facility has set new benchmarks in adopting processes that not only ensure global
quality but significantly reduce our carbon footprint.”
Ford has implemented several
environment-friendly practices at Chennai plant and is one of Ford’s five
zero-landfill facilities in the Asia Pacific region. This ensures that the
entire hazardous waste generated at the plant is either recycled or
co-processed into allied cement industries. The company has reduced its energy
consumption at Chennai by 16% while water consumption by 30% in producing each
car since 2009 through various process improvements. The plant also treats and
reuses 100% of its water within the facility, making this a zero liquid
discharge factory.
“The millionth vehicle and
engine production milestone stands as a testament to the passion and dedication
of more than 6,000 hardworking men and women at Chennai.” Radhakrishnan added.
Source: Ford India