US-based automobile manufacturer Ford Motor has opened its new $500m engine plant at its China Changan Ford Automobile (CAF) in Chongqing, China.
The new Changan Ford Engine Plant (CAFEP) has an initial production capacity of 400,000 units per year, which increases CAF's engine production current production capacity of 350,000 units by two times.
CAFEP will produce two Ford engines including a 1.5L naturally aspirated four-cylinder and 1L three-cylinder EcoBoost engine that would be fitted in the automaker's EcoSport and Fiesta models and will support the company to launch of 15 new vehicles in China by 2015.
Located in Lijia, the165,000sqm plant, which is built in an area of over 400,000sqm, is claimed to be Ford's largest and most advanced engine plants in the world and has technologies to decrease the usage of reduce environmental impact by reducing water, chemical and electricity.
CAFEP is the second facility of seven new plants that are expected to be started in the Asia Pacific region during this decade, and the second among the five new plants in China.
According to the company, CAFEP uses advanced manufacturing processes that reduce waste and resource as well as avoids the need for coolant systems with its Minimal Quantity Lubrication process.
Additionally, the plant reduces overall production costs with implementation of Ford's single manufacturing operating system that also increases its efficiency.
