Ford assesses future engine programmes

By: John Mortimer, Wednesday, May 06, 2009,

AutomotiveWorld.com

Ford has been re-assessing its gasoline engine needs in the light of the downturn in 4x4 vehicle sales. The OEM is placing renewed emphasis on small engines sourced from different parts of the world and among plants affected are those in Brazil, South Africa and the UK, notably Bridgend, South Wales. A decision is still awaited, however, regarding a plant in Romania, last year earmarked to produce the new Fox 3-cylinder, 1-litre engine. Ford is also expanding its DVM programme, the Ford-PSA Peugeot Citroën joint venture gasoline engine project.

In Brazil, Ford has ordered a new cylinder head and block line for its Sigma engine programme. The first phase calls for 350,000 engines annually with an eventual capacity of 700,000 units. Sigma engines are in the range 1.25-litre, 1.4 and 1.6-litres. The machining line order for the head and block lines was won by Grob-Werke GmbH of Mindelheim, Germany. Grob expects to source 55% of the equipment (such as drive motors) for the Sigma lines from Europe. The lines will be assembled and tested at the supplier’s facility in São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 1968.

Grob pledged five-year price stability as part of winning the Sigma contract. This implies yearly price increases of some 2.5%. The company also bid for the crankshaft machining line in Brazil, however, Etxe-tar of Elgoibar, Spain, is understood to have won on price. Etxe-Tar is a top-25 supplier to Volkswagen.

Grob is Ford’s leading supplier of crankshaft machines, with equipment in Chihuahua, Mexico, and Bridgend and Dagenham, UK. For Chihuahua, Ford ordered nine new crankshaft machines, some for the new Scorpion engine. Ford last placed a head and block contract with Grob in 1991 for its Cleveland No. 2 Engine Plant; the line being signed off in 1993.

Ford sees Grob as ‘a second string’ to MAG Industrial Automation Systems (MAG-IAS) of Sterling Heights, Michigan – the OEM’s preferred, but heavily loaded, machine tool vender. Meanwhile, new Puma engine capacity is being created in South Africa for which MAG-IAS is supplying machining centres.

Ford is also expanding its Bridgend plant to accommodate variable valve timing on small engines built at the plant. Grob has worked on meeting a request for quotation (RFQ) for the three-cylinder Fox engine for which it could supply head and block machining lines. A four-cylinder version of the engine is also due.

Engineers at Ford‘s Dunton, Essex engineering centre in the UK are working on the Fox design. Recently, in a surprise move, Ford transferred diesel engine design and engineering activity from Dunton and Dagenham, both in the UK to Turkey where the company builds diesel engines for Ford Cargo heavy trucks.

Fox output could be well over 400,000 units a year, boosted by over 75,000 DVM engines.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.

Published on Wednesday, May 06, 2009