Ford Motor Company has temporarily suspended vehicle and engine production at several of its international manufacturing sites, including South Africa, in response to the growing impact of the coronavirus.
Production has also been brought to a halt in India, Thailand and Vietnam. As yet, it’s unclear for how long this will continue, but it is expected to be for several weeks at least. It depends on the pandemic situation, national restrictions, supplier constraints and dealer stock requirements, according to Mark Ovenden, president of Ford’s International Markets Group (IMG).
He also said production suspensions would vary market by market. In South Africa the company will stop production at its two facilities – Silverton in Pretoria and Struandale in Port Elizabeth from March 27.
"The health and safety of our employees, dealers, customers, partners and communities is our highest priority," said Ovenden. "We are continuing to act in real time and taking added safety measures by temporarily halting production at our manufacturing sites in the international markets."
Vehicle and engine production has already been suspended in North America, Europe and South America.