The Ford Everest was designed and developed to deliver family-friendly on-road comfort and off-road capability. Sold in more than 110 markets around the world, every single Everest is built at Ford’s AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) plant.

From cutting-edge robotics and AI-powered quality control to meticulous assembly techniques and rigorous performance tests, the journey of a Ford Everest from the factory floor to your driveway is a fascinating blend of technology and precision.

Here are 10 things you need to know about how every single Ford Everest is built:

1.    One Ford Everest rolls off the production line every two minutes at AAT.

2.    There are 320 robots and 25 cobots (collaborative robots) working on the body production and assembly line to maintain production volume.

3.    There are more than 3,600 spot welds in the body of every single Everest, and corrosion protection is provided by dipping the body in 10 chemical baths prior to painting.

4.    There are more than 30 AI cameras used across body and TCF (trim, chassis, finish) to optimise production lines and ensure quality in the manufacturing process.

5.    Every single Everest built at AAT is required to complete Dynamic Performance Testing before it can be shipped around the world. These are the Squeak and Rattle Track and Rough Road Track, and each vehicle must complete one full pass to be approved for release.

6.    The air leakage test involves an example of every single Everest variant being removed from the line at random, every single day. Air is pumped into the cabin and sensors placed around the vehicle measure the rate of air leakage ensuring vehicle sealing meets the standard expected.

7.    AAT is part-powered by six megawatts of solar energy that offsets 4,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. An innovative floating solar farm is under construction which, when completed, will increase AAT’s total solar power capacity to 14MW, making it greener to produce Everest.

8.    To ensure the steering and wheels are aligned and the headlights are pointing where they need to, an example of every single Everest variant is removed from the line at random, every single day. A selection of lasers and cameras are then used to check wheel alignment and headlights, while a quick lap of the Steering Alignment Test Track shows if the steering wheel is on straight and the vehicle tracks straight as an arrow.

9.    One of the key quality confirmation checks is the Water Test which sees every Everest sprayed with water for five minutes, in a controlled pressure test, to replicate the worst rainstorm imaginable. After the water jets are turned off, auditors visually inspect the Everest’s taillights, headlamps and foglamps, to make sure that no water has breached the seals. The water used doesn’t go to waste, it drains into the floor and is recycled for use in subsequent tests. Every door is then opened, and the rubber seals are inspected for any signs of water ingress. 

10.  Each Everest is checked over by a team of auditors who use high-resolution cameras and AI algorithms to check for the smallest of defects, checking decals, badges, missing parts, extra parts, wrong parts, improper assembly of parts, or even colour mismatch.

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