MELBOURNE, Australia, December 8, 2023 – The adventure-ready Ford Ranger is not only engineered to be the most versatile and capable yet, but it was also designed to stand out in a crowd.

“We start researching colours up to five years in advance and stay up to date with colour trends to ensure the colours complement the vehicles personality but also adapt to current trends", said Emily Harrington, colour and materials designer, Ford.

But they also need to work for the vehicle’s intended purpose, adds Harrington. "Some colours and paint types aren't resilient to the challenges of off-road life. Therefore, we collaborate across functions to determine the most durable options."

Meet the hero

Some colours are intended to grab attention and these are called ‘hero’ colours.

When the still-a-new-idea Ranger Wildtrak shed its Winning Blue paint for Chilli Orange in 2011 few knew the orange/yellow hue would still be Wildtrak’s go-to colour scheme.

"The orange/yellow hero colour palette has become integral to the Wildtrak's identity, and our customers now expect it. We consistently explore ways to evolve the colour, aiming to captivate customers for the next generation of Wildtrak,” said Harrington.

Because paint matters to Ford, it’s important that Ford’s facilities in Thailand and South Africa have the equipment to ensure every truck leaves the factory floor with a showroom-ready finish free from imperfections, said Harrington.

Paint perfection

Ford’s advanced paint-quality scanners at its production facilities in Thailand and South Africa not only detect an imperfection in the paintwork the size of a pin head, but also cue final assembly operators to address issues if required.

Once the body and tailgate leave the paint oven, they pass through an LED tunnel where 17 high-resolution cameras scan them for imperfections finer than the size of a pin head. The process takes around 35 seconds, and more than 25,000 photos are captured for every Ranger made.

Evan Traikos, automation supervisor, Ford, explained: “The system uses 15 high-resolution cameras with overlapping fields of view to scan every single painted Ranger body while two more cameras focus on the tailgate. It can detect an imperfection in the paintwork the size of a pin head,” said Traikos.

Once the painted body and tailgate are scanned, any panels requiring attention are directed to polishing bays for corrections.

“The system combines the very latest in digital technology and optical imaging to help us deliver on our quality promise to the customer,” concluded Traikos.

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