Soundbites: New Hangzhou Assembly Plant in China
Ford Motor Company today announced it will build a new state-of-the-art assembly plant in Hangzhou, China, doubling its production capacity in China to 1.2 million passenger cars annually by 2015. John Fleming, Executive Vice President for Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, said it is an opportunity for Ford Motor Company to increase its Manufacturing capacity in a part of the world where vehicle demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
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| Cut #1: |
"This expansion in China is really the most rapid expansion that Ford Motor Company has embarked on in the last 50-years, so it's a tremendous opportunity for us and a great motivator to everybody." :15 sec. |
| Fleming says building a world-class assembly plant in Hangzhou further diversifies Ford's manufacturing footprint in China while giving it closer access to the large customer base in China's affluent coastal areas. | |
| Cut #2: |
"Well I think it's extremely exciting times, it's Ford Motor Company doing exactly what we said we would do. We are maintaining capacity size to demand, and we know that our market in China is growing enormously, so it gives more capacity in one of the most important markets in the world." :17 sec. |
| Because China is the largest growth market in the world, Fleming sees this as being critical to Ford's future growth. | |
| Cut #3: |
"Our expectation is that between 2012 and 2020 the market is going to grow up to 30 to 40 million units." :10 sec. |
| Flemings says it's important to keep capacity sized to demand. Demand is increasing in China, so Ford needs more plants. According to Fleming, Ford is building vehicles where they sell them, but he does not want to just look at a China or Asia as the only expansion Ford is undergoing. | |
| Cut #4: |
"We need to realize that in the U.S. we announced, not that long ago, 16-billion dollars of investment, 12,000 new jobs, and this year we're going through a process of adding another shift to Chicago Assembly plant, to Michigan Assembly plant, to Louisville Assembly plant and we're going to add a second shift for F-series to Kansas City, so there is enormous growth here in the U.S. as well." :25 sec. |
| However, Fleming was quick to point out the Chinese auto market remains one of the most vibrant in the world, and to do that Ford expects to double their vehicle sales around the world, up to 8-million units by 2015. | |
| Cut #5: |
"To do that we have to be expanding in the markets which are having the most growth and China is certainly one of those. We moved from survival, to growth and we're growing probably the fastest we've ever grown probably than any of us can remember, but certainly in over 50 years. So this is a huge expansion." :20 sec. |
| This expansion will allow Ford to meet its commitment to INCREASE vehicle sales BY 50-PERCENT around the world of Ford's next-generation of high quality, fuel efficient, fun-to-drive vehicles – up to 8 million units by 2015. |