Ford India employees union looks for Govt intervention

The employee union at Ford India, which has recently been formed, wants the government to intervene to initiate union's negotiations with the car maker. The union has sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Labour requesting him to take necessary action so that Ford India starts negotiations with it, said Ford India Employees Union general secretary A. Satish Kumar, in a statement given to a leading news agency. Mr Kumar added that the union came into existence a month back and the company was informed about the same through post.



On the other hand, the company has stated that the open dialogue between employees and management has always been encouraged by Ford India. The company is happy that the partnership among all employees contributes to its growing success. The statement also adds that the company prefers to keep the employee-management discussions internal so that their confidentiality can be respected.



This is not the first time when Ford India workers have formed a union, as in the year 2003, an employees union was formed at the company, though it was not registered with the Labor Ministry. Ford India has around 3,000 employees at its Maraimalai Nagar plant from where it has recently started exporting engines to the Thailand market. The company is in the process of recruiting another 1,000 employees at this plant in a bid to start a second shift to catch-up with the rising demand for its recently launched compact-hatch-back Figo in India.

Source:- Ford India employees union looks for Govt intervention - New Cars

Ford India initiates engine exports to Thailand

The Indian subsidiary of US based, leading car maker Ford Motors has initiated the exports of its 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines to Thailand from its Maraimalai Nagar facility on Tuesday. The first lot of Ford engines has been dispatched to company's Thailand based sister concern Auto Alliance. According to President of Ford India, Mr Michael Boneham, the shipment of 1,000 petrol engines is a significant first step in company's goal to become a major production and export hub of diesel and petrol engines.



The company is not new in the field of engine exports as it has already been supplying diesel engines to countries like South-Africa since the year 2008.The Maraimalai Nagar plant of the company is situated about 35 km from Chennai which accounts for a significant chunk of Ford's heavy investment (about $500-million) in India.

As per the press release issued on the occasion, the company would increase the monthly exports to 2500 engine units in the coming months. The release, further adds that, Ford India is analyzing the export opportunities for its engine components and vehicles in the markets that include, the Asian-Pacific and the African region.

Source:- Ford India initiates engine exports to Thailand - New Cars

Ford Figos’ Rapid Sales

Ford India has started putting its best foot forward. The launch of its compact car Ford Figo is touching new heights of success every day. Ford is gaining all the attention in auto industry these days because everybody can see a rapid growth in its sale of Ford Figo. In a short span Ford has delivered around 16,000 Figos and the company is really lucky to have 21,000 bookings on hand. It has been just 14 weeks of the new introduction and the company is all set to start its second shift from next month and this second shift means more production, more sales and of course, more success!



The second shift will result in the increased capacity of 1.40 lakh units. Michael Boneham, Ford India President and MD, who was giving the keys to the 1000th customer (MPL Ford Dealership outlet), said , "We have crossed the total production figure of last year (about 30,200 plus units) a week-and-a-half ago. Our second shift will begin from July to respond to the significant demand,” .



Though the input costs are rising but still Figo is giving competition in the B-segment which is growing 35% on an yearly basis. Wagon R, Alto, Swift, Punto,Estillo, Beat, Polo, Spark,Micra and i10 are some of the brands which are participating in this competition , pegged to be one lakh units. Boneham while talking about the success of the company said that localization has also helped a lot which has reached to the level of 85%.

Source:- Ford Figos’ Rapid Sales - New Cars

Ford India sales increased three-fold during May 2010

Ford India, a subsidiary of US based leading car maker, on Tuesday posted a three-fold increase in its May 2010 sales. The company managed to sell 8,080 units of its cars in India during this month as against 2,168 units it sold during the May 2009.

The main contributor to this high growth was the volume sales of its recently launched compact hatchback Ford Figo which is receiving an overwhelming response from the Indian buyers. In just two-and-a-half months of its launch in India the company has managed to achieve more than 20,000 bookings for this car.



According to Mr Michael Boneham, Ford India President and Managing Director, the company has achieved more than 20,000 bookings since launch and is happy to see more and more Ford Figos gaining visibility and presence on road.

The company is planning to start a second manufacturing shift at its Chennai plant so that it can catch-up with the whooping demand and increasing backlog. The company is planning to invest heavily on its Chennai facility to increase the production capacity to 2 lakh units annually from existing 1 lakh units.



All portfolio models of Ford India performed well during this month including Ikon, Fiesta and Endeavour.

Source:- Ford India sales increased three-fold during May 2010 - New Cars