PPG Profiles Ford Motor Company of South Africa
Project Overview
The Ford Motor Company of South Africa made history when it invested more than $1 billion to upgrade its manufacturing operations at the Silverton Assembly Plant, the largest investment in Ford’s 97-year history in South Africa and one of the largest ever in the country’s automotive industry.
New technologies and equipment were installed at the plant, including utilizing PPG’s Coatings Services division to operate and maintain the electrocoat lines that are instrumental in the company’s plans to expand on-site production of the new Ranger pick-up truck.
The upgrades to the facility will increase the annual production capacity of Ford Rangers from 168,000 to 200,000, a step needed to meet both domestic demand and export needs in over 100 global markets.
“This investment will further modernize our South African operations, helping them play an even more important role in the turnaround and growth of our global automotive operations," said Dianne Craig, president, Ford’s International Markets Group. "Ranger is one of our highest volume, most successful global vehicles. This investment will equip our team with the tools and facilities to deliver the best Ford Ranger ever, in higher numbers and with superior quality."
Delivering a Ready-Made Solution to OEM
With the increase in the plant’s production capacity, it’s critical for Ford to maximize efficiency to keep pace, and that includes upgrading its coatings operations.
According to Rodolfo Ramirez, PPG’s global general manager, Coatings Services, PPG has three ways to service customers: coat a wide range of parts in PPG Regional Coating Centers located around the world; operate a customer’s in-house coating line; and provide engineering solutions, including equipment design and installation. PPG also works with external partners on incorporating key components, such as ovens, tanks and application equipment.
At the Ford Motor Company’s plant in South Africa, PPG runs and manages an “INSITE™” coatings system specifically designed for Ford that unites all the benefits of a dedicated in-house coatings system without challenges associated with managing one.
“We can design, engineer and integrate a plan for a customer,” said Ramirez. “Then deliver it as a turnkey solution, or operate it for them, as is the case with Ford Motor Company of South Africa.”
PPG Coatings Solutions
When it comes to the coatings themselves, Ford uses low temperatures due to the introduction of PPG POWERCRON 6200HE technology which cures at 15-20° C lower metal temperatures than the previous fourth and fifth generation electrocoat products, while also helping to reduce VOC emissions.PPG also introduced low-temperature chemicals for the degreasing tanks, such as PPG ULTRAX 94D, a liquid alkaline cleaner developed for use in low-temperature cleaning. For the phosphate application on multi-metal substrates, PPG introduced Chemfos 700AW and 700RW.
PPG Coatings Leadership
PPG Coatings Services is a leading provider of protective coatings with a global network of 34 facilities that spans seven countries.These “Regional Coating Centers” provide customized outsourced coating services throughout North America and Europe for more than 900 OEMs, tier suppliers and parts manufacturers in industries like automotive and heavy duty equipment.
According to Ramirez, PPG Coatings Services’ full range of high-technology coating solutions include electrocoating, powder coating, liquid paint, PPG DRAGONHIDE™ polyurea coating, lightweight aluminum coating and other custom coatings.
To learn more about PPG Coatings Services business and PPG's fully integrated line of primer and powder coating solutions, visit www.ppgindustrialcoatings.com or call 1-888-774-2001.
For additional information, visit www.ppgcoatingsservices.com or call 1-866-806-4018.
