Ford's New Global Centre In Chennai By 2019

Ford Motor Private Limited (FMPL) plans to invest around Rs 1,300 crore in its new Global Technology and Business Centre that is slated to begin operations in Tamil Nadu by the first quarter of 2019, informed company’s managing director David Dubensky. 

Dubensky, who is also the global business services head of FMPL, was recently talking at the sidelines of the Indo-US Trade Conclave, ‘The March towards $500 billion Trade,’ reported Mint.

In a bid to consolidate all its services that are currently spread across Chennai, Coimbatore and Gurgaon the company is eyeing Chennai to emerge as a centre to design cars after integration with its global engineering core.

“This (India) is a small car market and that is the logical place we are looking at,” he added.

The new 28-acre centre will house a research and development unit along with a product testing centre. A workforce of 2,000 employees will be added to perform duties here, said Dubensky.

Ford was shown the green light by the Tamil Nadu government to set up a global technology and business centre under the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd’s (ELCOT) special economic zone (SEZ) in Shollinganalur, near Chennai back in March this year.

Ford currently manufactures from its twin facilities in Sanand (Gujarat) and Chennai that have a combined capacity of rolling out 10.5 lakh units annually. The Ford lineup in India currently features the likes of the Figo Aspire, Figo and EcoSport; that are exported to more than 50 countries globally.