US automotive giant Ford invests in Australia

The US automotive company, Ford, one of the largest car and truck manufacturers in the world, has announced that it will invest an additional $20 million to expand its Geelong Casting Plant in Victoria.

The Michigan-based Ford, which was recently named the 13th most innovative company in the world by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, will upgrade the plant into a highly-advanced manufacturing facility, with an increase in technical capabilities and a substantially increased workforce.

Current production techniques will be made more environmentally friendly, including increased use of recycled water and materials, and eliminating sand landfill altogether.

The latest investment comes on top of a $230 million investment in the Falcon and Territory models that Ford announced in 2009 as part of its ten-year, $1.8 billion Australian growth plan.

As part of a new agreement with Bosch, the Geelong Castings Plant will become a global centre of excellence for brake rotor casting, manufacturing around one million brake components annually for Bosch Chassis Systems Australia.

Ford has reported that the Geelong plant will also manufacture engine blocks for the FG Falcon’s new Euro IV compliant I6 petrol engine and the new Territory diesel and petrol variants, supported by the Australian Government under the Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme program.