Ford to build global tech-biz centre on 28-acre site in city

Ford Executive Committee Chairman Bill Ford, making the announcement, described the latest move to be its “next chapter of Ford’s journey in India.” As part of consolidation efforts, 9,000 employees from six existing facilities will work out of a 28-acre campus on the city outskirts, where the new centre will be housed. With 12,000 employees in total, the Chennai facility will be Ford’s second-largest centre of employment globally for the US auto giant. 

“This new center will help us attract the best and brightest, and make Chennai a true hub of innovation for Ford around the world,” Ford said, adding the new centre would be its third global product development centre in the Asia Pacific region and a hub for its global product development network.  As well as housing engineering talent, the campus will be home to employees from IT, finance, accounting, data analytics and manufacturing. 

“This centre will feature a wide range of laboratories and testing facilities for both full vehicles and components, enabling Ford to conduct extensive testing of the future vehicles in India,” Ford said. “With 2.5 million sq ft of floor space, the centre will also help the company to innovate in manufacturing around the world, standardising processes and making use of the latest technologies to enhance efficiency,” he added. Ford’s total investment in India is over $2 billion, which includes last year’s $1 billion investment in its integrated manufacturing unit in Sanand, Gujarat. 

Meanwhile, an official release says Bill Ford met the TN Industries Minister M C Sampath at the secretariat and thanked the government for extending co-operation for their business operations in the state. He also expressed his wish for the speedy recovery of the hospitalized CM J Jayalalithaa.