Nigeria to start assembling Ford Ranger bakkies - BDlive
US MOTOR company Ford will start assembling Ranger trucks in Nigeria later this year, in a decision that could double the number of vehicle kits supplied to that country from SA. Nigeria will become the first African country outside SA to... Ford SA’s Silverton plant, in Pretoria, has annual capacity for 110,000 Rangers and is working overtime to meet domestic and export demand. Nigeria is one of nearly 150 export markets for built-up Rangers, but from October, Silverton will export kits for re-assembly in that country. Jeff Nemeth, president of Ford’s sub-Saharan Africa region, said on Tuesday Silverton expected to ship up to 5,000 vehicles annually to the new plant, near Lagos. Last year, sales of new Ford vehicles in Nigeria totalled about 4,000, with SA-built Rangers accounting for more than half. Mr Nemeth said Ford wanted a partner it knew. "We want a company that works as we want it to, not one that dictates to us. ". He declined to disclose the value of the investment or the ownership split with Ford. Mr Maduka said he hoped Nigerian component suppliers would start supplying parts for the Ranger by 2017. "There are existing suppliers but are they able to meet Ford quality standards. Source: www.bdlive.co.za
