Back to business for Ranger at Ford plant

Business at Ford’s manufacturing plant in Silverton Pretoria is getting back to normal but the risk of interrupted power supply remains, Ford says.

23 Ford Power Back1

The problems arose when overhead powerlines collapsed over the N4 on 10 April after a huge storm that left large parts of Pretoria, especially in the eastern part of the city, without electricity. This included the Ford plant and related industries in the Ford supply chain.

Production was suspended on 11 April and restored in stages starting on the evening of April 12, when production has slowly resumed.

The estimated total loss of production during the down days was 1 440 units. and a dark picture of the impact of the shutdown for an extended period was sketched by Ford Africa’s president, Neale Hill.

Ford tells Dealerfloor that the scale of the Eskom infrastructure concern holds the risk of interrupted supply. “However, we continue to liaise with Eskom and local government as they work to balance the system and fully restore the network.”

The newly upgraded Silverton plant is currently the second largest in the world producing the new generation Ford Ranger as well as the Volkswagen Amarok, both for local consumption and export to more than 100 markets. More than 700 Ranger pick-ups are manufactured in Pretoria every day utilising three shifts working at the plant.

More Industry News stories

Buying cars but look beyond the brochure and shiny floors

Buying cars but look beyond the brochure and shiny floors

For decades, buying a car has been as much about emotion as practicality. Shiny brochures, polished showroom floors and persuasive sales talk often overshadowed the cold, hard numbers of ownership. But today, where information is currency, consumers are no longer satisfied with glossy marketing – they want data, and they want it now.

  • 13 September 2025
Chinese carmakers eye South African manufacturing base

Chinese carmakers eye South African manufacturing base

According to a Reuters report, South Africa is engaged in discussions with Chinese automotive manufacturers to encourage local investment, with at least one company showing considerable interest in establishing production facilities in the country, a senior government official revealed on Wednesday.

  • 12 September 2025