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Ford opens $450M manufacturing plant in Thailand

By Patrick Everett Tadeo —

TopGear.com.ph Philippine Car News - Ford opens new $450 million plant in Thailand

There's no stopping Ford's expansion in Thailand as the American carmaker recently opened its 200,000sqm, $450-million state-of-the-art passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in the Rayong province.

"The opening of this new, world-class facility is the latest example in our aggressive growth plan for this region, which represents Ford's largest industrial expansion in half a century," said Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa. "The world-class One Ford vehicles produced here will be part of our plan to launch 50 new vehicles and powertrains in Asia Pacific and Africa by mid-decade."

Known as Ford Thailand Manufacturing, the facility is the carmaker's second plant in Thailand. It is also one of eight new manufacturing facilities across the Asia Pacific and Africa region that Ford will open by 2015 as part of its aggressive global expansion.

With an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles, the Ford Thailand Manufacturing plant will increase Ford's annual production capacity in the country to 445,000 units, making it one of the largest producers and exporters of vehicles in the country.

Since 2007, Ford has been Thailand's largest automotive investor, putting in more than $1.5 billion to continually expand its local operations. Overall, Ford is the country's second-largest automotive investor with cumulative investments totaling more than $2.5 billion.

"No other automotive manufacturer has invested more in Thailand over the last five years than Ford Motor Company," said Ford ASEAN president Peter Fleet. "We are clearly here for the long run."

Shortly after the plant's opening, we managed to talk to Anika Salceda-Wycoco, Ford Group Philippines' assistant vice president for communications, who was present at the opening ceremony. She said that the production of the all-new Focus will commence at the facility by June.

So, does this bit of news make you even more excited for the arrival of the new Focus, or are you saddened by the fact that Thailand has well and truly left us behind when it comes to the auto industry's hierarchy of car markets in Asia?

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  • dextermorgan May 04 2012 @ 09:46pm
     
    swerte nang thailand :) daming planta maraming investments maraming kita mura pa maintenance nang mga kotse and parts availability nila ngayun.... tayo wala....
       
    • iskwakalogz May 06 2012 @ 02:20pm
       
      we are like that before.. if PNoy stops sleeping on work and stop dating girls during his duty not to mention playing psp and watching DVDs while on work maybe we would restore our former glory..
         
  • GTi May 04 2012 @ 09:51pm
     
    I could see why they focused on opening plants in Thailand instead of here. Ang mahal mahal ng kuryente!!! ^0^ Wala, bokya talaga ang Pinas sa car industry, or any other industry for that matter. Always lagging behind others and doing close to nothing about it.
       
    • markdejesus76 May 04 2012 @ 10:21pm
       
      Need to open the Nuclear powerplant.
         
      • gogogo May 04 2012 @ 11:04pm
         
        ayaw kasi nila gamitin para daw mas malaki kikitain ng gobyerno sa kuryente. hehe
           
        • iskwakalogz May 06 2012 @ 02:21pm
           
          monopolized by Lopezes, Danding and MVP
             
      • mark14 May 08 2012 @ 11:56am
         
        delikado ang nuclear energy. ung mga bansa sa Europe, naghahanap na raw ng alternative dito dahil sa nangyari sa Japan
           
  • tidus1203 May 04 2012 @ 10:06pm
     
    That's what you get if you are PRO-BUSINESS like Thailand is. They allow 99% foreign ownership unlike here where foreigners can't own majority and can't own land and their wages are lower than wages here. And you have those pests like Anak-Pawis and KMU who are a huge deterrent to capitalism which is the engine of prosperity. Business create prosperity not labor, remember that!
        1
    • gogogo May 04 2012 @ 11:10pm
       
      para sakin wala naman masama na pinagbawal nila majority owned ng foreigners. yung masama lang eh ang hirap magnegosyo sa pilipinas. pinupulitika kasi eh. kailangan may suhol pag wala iipitin ka. tapos palakasan pa sa mga opisyal sa gobyerno. yung mga SMEs hirap tuloy kalabanin yung mga malalaki na. pero agree ako sa anak pawis at kmu na huge deterrent to capitalism sila. kaya rin marami nawawalan ng trabaho dahil din sa kanila eh.
         
      • tidus1203 May 05 2012 @ 07:02am
         
        Actually it one of the root causes why foreigners shun the Philippines as a manufacturing hob at least one of the major causes. They want to own the plant, now share it with a local. Sila na nga gumastos sila pa minority holder. Thailand seems to be doing ok with their 99% foreign own policy. Its working. Our foreign ownership laws are not in step with the times.
            1
  • Fernando Amorsolo May 04 2012 @ 11:11pm
     
    Way to go Ford!
       
  • lord_cykb24 May 04 2012 @ 11:36pm
     
    dami kasi kurakot na opisyales dito sa pinas kaya magiging expensive na ang Ford maglagay ng planta dito...!!!
       
    • BOOGIECAT May 05 2012 @ 01:15pm
       
      May planta na sila dito,yung sa Sta Rosa,Laguna.
         
  • ying May 05 2012 @ 06:44am
     
    Well to tell you frankly their labor laws are strict. Here its all in favor of labor. It makes the laborers indolent. Konting bagay lang welga na. Pag humingi pa gusto langit at lupa.
       
    • BOOGIECAT May 05 2012 @ 01:16pm
       
      Wala namang labor dispute ang FGP at employees sa plant nila sa Sta Rosa,Laguna.
         
    • Iniong May 05 2012 @ 05:44pm
       
      yeah! labor unions are!........ pg humingi sila wagas! kala mo kanila un ng company.
         
  • neutral May 05 2012 @ 07:40am
     
    One of the reasons that Thailand is favored over ours is logistics. Geographically, Thailand is near China, India, Middle East, etc. which means that shipment of everything to and from Thailand is cheaper and faster.
       
  • aldy888cbu May 05 2012 @ 08:24am
     
    They would rather brave the flood than come here. What does that tell you. That plant
    could have employed a lot of us. Send ppl there to learn how the thais do it instead of
    sending them to trade missions to the U.S., Euro, China, when the underlying problems
    of investing here haven''t and aren't fixed yet.
       
    • AM3 May 05 2012 @ 12:34pm
       
      The expensive power rates and lack of support from the current administration is the reason companies are moving their production away from the Country. PS: Ford's plants in Thailand weren't really affected by the floods, it was the parts suppliers that were affected.
          1
    • tidus1203 May 05 2012 @ 01:27pm
       
      Floods are natural disasters and is unpredictable. Even staying here means that it would be flood or earthquake proof. Those are Acts of God.
         
  • mgr366 May 05 2012 @ 10:58am
     
    Politics here is a problem, Leftist groups here is a problem, Our Language is a problem as well preferring English rather than Filipino - i guess I am part of the problem as well. 99 or 100 percent foreign owned companies/corporations - agree. foreigners owning lands - a BIG NO. let's not even entertain the thought of it. Jeepneys, Tricycles, Kuligligs, should be phased out. But there is hope. We can start right now in changing the old ways. Since this is a "page" for cars/vehicles, the change we can contribute is not buying smuggled cars/vehicles and parts. Abiding traffic laws even others do not and even when no enforcers are around.
       
  • Kyoichi Sudo May 05 2012 @ 11:38am
     
    This makes me more excited w/ the new Focus!
       
  • isaac3654 May 05 2012 @ 02:23pm
     
    Actually, ndi lang politics ang pwdeng i-blame. Ang employees din sa factories ang pwdeng i-blame. Sa balita, ano ba ang naririnig nio? Puro taas sweldo diba? or nahingi ng raise? Ano ang mas mabuting piliin, may sweldo (konti man khit papano nabubuhay parin) or ang wala tlgang trabaho? Isn't something better than nothing? Kaya naman may mga nalipat sa Thailand ay dhil mas mababa ang average minimum wage nila kaysa satin. Ciempre ang kukunin ng company ay ung kung san cla magkakarprofit, eh kung puro hingi nlng ng hingi kng ndi nmn nagsisipag ay useless din. Humingi ung workers ng taas sweldo kung they have the productivity to match the higher wage they are demanding!!!!!
       
  • RS500 May 05 2012 @ 08:52pm
     
    Sayang. Kung dito sana, mas maraming pilipino pa ang magkakatrabaho
       
  • barry May 06 2012 @ 03:49pm
     
    amb. kristy kenney is in the foreground. hehe. buti pa ang thailand. they provide more jobs for their citizens. tayo, ewan ko kung ano ang ginagawa ng gobyerno. too bad!
       
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