NEW DELHI: American automaker Ford on Friday said it is preparing to utilise its Chennai manufacturing plant for exports. The plant had stopped production on September 2022.
During his recent visit to the US, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, as reported by The New Indian Express, had urged Ford Motor Company to revive its three-decade partnership with Tamil Nadu by restarting operations at the Maraimalai Nagar plant in Chennai.
A report carried by this newspaper on March 2024, noted that the American auto giant has posted new job listings on LinkedIn for its Chennai plant. The reports of Ford making a comeback to India have been floating around for a while now.
The company which in 2021 had said that it would stop manufacturing vehicles in India, has submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the Tamil Nadu government, confirming its intention to utilise the Chennai plant for manufacturing for exports, PTI reported.
The announcement follows a meeting between Ford leadership and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin as part of his visit to the United States, Ford said in a statement.
"This step aims to underscore our ongoing commitment to India as we intend to leverage the manufacturing expertise available in Tamil Nadu to serve new global markets," Ford International Markets Group President Kay Hart said.
Ford said the strategic move will see the facility repurposed to focus on manufacturing for export to global markets, as part of the company's ambitious 'Ford+ growth plan'.
It, however, said further information about the type of manufacturing and other details will be disclosed in due course.
Ford said its latest announcement reaffirms the company's commitment to India as a critical market for its global operations.
A report carried by this newspaper on March 2024, noted that the American auto giant has posted new job listings on LinkedIn for its Chennai plant. The reports of Ford making a comeback to India have been floating around for a while now.
The company currently employs 12,000 individuals in Global Business Operations in Tamil Nadu, a number expected to grow by 2,500 to 3,000 jobs within the next three years, it added.
"Combined with the engine manufacturing operations in Sanand, India represents Ford's second-largest salaried workforce worldwide," the company said.
In September 2021, after nearly three decades of struggling to make a mark in India, Ford Motor Co had announced that it would stop vehicle production at its two plants in the country and will sell only imported vehicles going ahead, as part of a restructuring exercise.
While the company sold its vehicle manufacturing plant at Sanand in Gujarat to Tata Motors, it could not wind down its vehicle and engine manufacturing in Chennai by the targeted timeline of second quarter of 2022.
(With inputs from PTI.)
