Ford is to spend US$450m on a new assembly plant in Rayong, Thailand, scheduled for completion in 2012, to help it expand in the Asia Pacific and Africa regions.
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The new, flexible facility will be able to build a several different vehicles and will begin manufacturing the Focus in 2012 for both domestic and export markets.
Ford already has a Thai joint venture with Mazda building pickup trucks for global sale outside the US and Canada.
The company plans to purchase up to US$800m worth of local components annually from Thailand’s well established local supply network.
The new plant could provide up to 11,000 new jobs – including up to 2,200 direct jobs with the automaker – with the rest in supplier and dealer networks.
President and CEO Alan Mulally, said: “This is another important step in our aggressive expansion in the Asia Pacific region to meet demand for Ford products in this fast-growing region.
Initial capacity will be 150,000 units per year. The new plant will be highly automated and use Ford’s global manufacturing processes and systems. Up to 85% of output will be exported.
The 750,000 sq m assembly plant will have body and paint shops and trim and final assembly lines.
