Name of the Project
Struandale engine plant.
Location
Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Project Owner/s
Ford Motor Company.
Project Description
The project entails the introduction of a third engine programme at Ford’s Struandale engine plant, which will support the production of the new 3.0 ℓ V6 turbodiesel engine that will be used in the next-generation Ranger.
The extensive changes to this assembly line will enable the Struandale engine plant to run a flexible format, as it will produce the new 3.0 ℓ V6 turbodiesel engine alongside the Duratorq TDCi engines. There are 40 stations on the line that will be common to both engines, with a further 25 stations unique to the 3.0 ℓ V6.
The plant will have an installed capacity of 21 000 units of the 3.0 ℓ V6 turbodiesel engine a year when production starts in mid-2022. The combined installed capacity for this line is 130 000 engines a year, although it has been designed to enable the split between the two engine programmes to be adjusted, based on future demand.
In addition to the assembly operations, the Struandale engine plant will also be responsible for machining the cylinder heads for the 3.0 ℓ V6 diesel engine.
The assembly line includes new equipment as well as retooling, upgrading and redeployment of existing machining operations for the cylinder head.
The machining line has an initial installed capacity of 42 000 cylinder heads a year for the V6 engine, but has also been designed to accommodate higher volumes in future, if necessary.
Potential Job Creation
The number of people employed at the Struandale engine plant will remain the same; however, the employees allocated to the various machining and assembly lines will be optimised to support the required production volumes for all three engine programmes, therefore, ensuring stability in local employment.
Plant employees are undergoing extensive training on the new 3.0 ℓ V6 diesel and updated 2.0 ℓ diesel engines, to ensure a seamless production startup for Job 1 in the middle of 2022.
Capital Expenditure
R600-million. This is over and above the R15.8-billion investment announced for Ford’s Silverton assembly plant and supplier tooling in February 2021.
Planned Start/End Date
The project was announced in December 2021. Production will start in mid-2022.
Latest Developments
None stated.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Ford corporate communications manager Dudu Nxele, tel +27 12 842 2337 or
email dnxele@ford.com.
Bambili Energy, tel +27 11 513 3587 or email info@bambilienergy.com.