U.S. auto major Ford Motor Company (FMC) is setting up a Global Technology and Business Centre on a 28-acre land at Shollinganallur near here.
The upcoming centre will involve an investment outlay of Rs.1,300 crore
“This new centre will integrate all our existing India-based global business functions into one campus. This will become our third global product development centre in Asia Pacific. It will serve as a global hub for product development, mobility solutions and business services for India and for the world,” said Bill Ford, Chairman of Ford Motor Company.
The Ford centre will hire about 3,000 people comprising engineers, scientists and skilled workers. The Centre will feature a wide range of laboratories and testing for both full vehicles and components, enabling Ford to conduct extensive testing of future vehicles in India. It will consolidate 9,000 employees spread across six existing facilities.
The first phase of the new centre will be completed by March 2019, said Dave Schoch, President, Ford Asia Pacific. “From Make-in-India, we are going to do Research and Development in India. In Asia-Pacific, India and China are the key growth markets for Ford. This year, we have grown by 25 per cent in sales in domestic market. Exports have increased by 40 per cent,” he added
“Global Innovation Business Services (GBS) which started with 20 people in 1999 will have 12,000 people by 2020, demonstrating our faith in India and Indian products. Driven by innovation, GBS teams working in India provide business solution for every Ford locations across the world in areas of information technology, financial accounting, manufacturing, marketing, sales and services, data analytics and automotive financing,” said David Dubensky, Executive Director, GBS Ford Motor Company.
“Ford has invested over $2 billion in India. We will open Ford Global Technology and Business Centre here. This will be our third global product development centre in the Asia Pacific region,” Mr. Bill Ford told reporters.
“India is not only a vibrant market for cars and new mobility ideas, it also is rich with talent, technical expertise and ingenuity. This new centre will help us attract the best and brightest and make Chennai a true hub of innovation for Ford around the world,” he said.
