Ford to open Global Technology & Business Centre in Chennai

Ford has announced plans to open a new Global Technology and Business Centre in Chennai, as part of its long-term aim to make India a global manufacturing and development hub. The new facility will serve as a centre for product development, mobility solutions and business services for the domestic as well as international markets.

The centre, spread over 28 acres, will be completed by early 2019. The automaker plans to invest Rs. 1,300 crore and hire 3,000 new employees, while 9,000 existing employees from different facilities in Chennai will be absorbed into the new centre. At a total workforce of 12,000 employees, this new facility will be Ford's second largest centre of employment, after Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.

Once operational, the new facility will not only be the development centre for Ford vehicles in the country, but will also include a testing facility for vehicles as well as components. It will be responsible for providing solutions for all IT, financing, data analytics, and manufacturing needs to the Indian as well as global markets.

The centre is being developed to comply with LEED Gold and Platinum standards for green buildings. It will be equipped with LED light fixtures, roof-mounted solar panels, heat and water recovery systems, a water treatment plant and rainwater tanks for collecting roof and surface water. Waste water will be treated to be reused for irrigation, flushing and cooling.