(May 7, 2012) BANGKOK, Thailand — Ford last week celebrated the official grand opening of Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) — a new $450 million, state-of-the-art passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand.

 This highly flexible plant, capable of building a diverse range of vehicles, will serve as the foundation for Ford’s plan to introduce eight all-new global One Ford vehicles to the ASEAN region by mid-decade.
 
“The opening of this new, world-class facility is the latest example in our aggressive growth plan for this region, which represents Ford’s largest industrial expansion in half-a-century,” said Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa. “The world-class One Ford vehicles produced here will be part of our plan to launch 50 new vehicles and powertrains in Asia Pacific and Africa by mid-decade.”
 
Ford Thailand Manufacturing is Ford’s second plant in Thailand, and one of eight new Ford manufacturing facilities across the Asia Pacific and Africa region the company will open by 2015 as part of its aggressive global expansion.
 
“Ford Thailand Manufacturing will allow us to meet the enormous growth in vehicle demand across this region in the coming years,” added Hinrichs.
 
Along with China and India, Thailand serves as one of the key global production and export hubs for Ford Motor Company. Ford Thailand Manufacturing has an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles — increasing the company’s annual capacity in Thailand to 445,000 — making Ford one of the largest producers and exporters of vehicles in the country. 
 
Since 2007, Ford is Thailand’s largest automotive investor, having invested more than $1.5 billion to continually expand its local operations. Overall, Ford is the second largest automotive investor in the country, with cumulative investments totaling more than $2.5 billion.
 
“No other automotive manufacturer has invested more in Thailand over the last five years than Ford Motor Company. We are clearly here for the long-run,” said Peter Fleet, president, Ford ASEAN.
 
The new Ford facility has the potential to support up to 11,000 new jobs — including 2,200 direct jobs with Ford and 8,800 indirect jobs through its supplier and dealer networks — with the first 1,600 already on-site, preparing for the launch of production.