Ford is reportedly planning to move its regional HQ for ‘Asia, the Pacific and Africa’ from Thailand to China, a move that would reflect China’s size and importance.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
A report in The Detroit News says that while a final decision has not been made, Shanghai is likely to become the new home to Ford’s senior executives in the region.
However, the report also says that some key operations will remain in Bangkok, along with regional headquarters for the 10 nations that make up the ASEAN bloc.
“Our leadership team, with supporting corporate functions, will be moving to China,” Ford spokeswoman Whitney Foard Small told the newspaper.
“Thailand will continue to serve as the ASEAN regional headquarters with our Ford ASEAN leadership team and supporting corporate functions based in Bangkok. Additional centres of excellence will be established around the region. It is still too early in the process to discuss anything further.”
Foard Small also told The Detroit News that recent political unrest in Thailand is not a factor in Ford’s decision. She said the move is part of the company’s continued integration of its once-disparate global operations – a part of the ‘One Ford’ strategy.
