Ford's Chennai plant rolls out 1 millionth vehicle and engine

Ford's Chennai plant has produced its one millionth vehicle and engine. Vehicle number 1 million to be rolled of the assembly line is a Ford EcoSport.

The US$ 1 billion manufacturing facility at Chennai started commercial production in 1999. It is spread over an area of 350 acres and houses an engine assembly plant that started commercial operations in 2008. The facility has an installed capacity to assemble up to 2,00,000 vehicles and 3,40,000 engines a year.

The engine plant features Ford's single-flexible production line, configured to build both petrol and diesel engines simultaneously. Models built here include the EcoSport, Fiesta and Endeavour.

Apart from catering to the domestic market, cars manufactured at the Chennai facility are exported to more than 40 markets around the world, including some ASEAN countries, Europe, Middle-East and Africa.

Ford claims that it has implemented environment-friendly practices at the Chennai plant and it is one of Ford’s five zero-landfill facilities in the Asia Pacific region. The entire hazardous waste generated at the plant is either recycled or co-processed into allied cement industries.

Additionally, the company claims to have 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.