Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
188,765 views
Old 21st May 2010, 21:37   #46
Senior - BHPian
 
rajushank84's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 1,116
Thanked: 1,092 Times

Thanks GTO! This thread made my day.

Some more pictures @ Ford Figo | Facebook
rajushank84 is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:00   #47
Senior - BHPian
 
aargee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TSTN
Posts: 6,229
Thanked: 9,595 Times

I'm turning into a Ford lover now. I would say no one had guts to do this; 2 years ago, we were invited by Hyundai to have a factory visit & the first line was "No mobiles, no camera".

So @GTO - where you in Chennai today?
aargee is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:15   #48
Senior - BHPian
 
funkykar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 2,635
Thanked: 6,593 Times

What a fiest this was! I felt like I saw a 1 hour show on making cars on Discovery channel
funkykar is online now  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:19   #49
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Nagpur
Posts: 183
Thanked: 17 Times

GTO, this is one of the most informative and educational post on Team BHP ever. I somehow wasn't ready for this. I still had a picture of hundreds of people working with hand tools in an assembly line, hammering out a road worthy car. The amount of automation and perfection in a car plant in India just blew my mind! But the most awe-inspiring process was seeing the birth of a new car from raw metal sheets. It is amazing to see a car take shape in those massive presses!

And the memory enabled engine storing system is nothing short of magic. It looks like a concept from outer space! Ford is on the right track by offering child parts, instead of entire assemblies as spares.

GTO, you are very lucky to have been there and see in person this wonder of technology, the making of a fine automobile from start to finish. And that too a Ford plant, who are the pioneers of the assembly line and indeed the automobile itself!

Thank you for posting these pictures and the wonderful descriptions. You have made a great contribution to the motoring enthusiasts on this forum. Let this be the begining of more such visits and pictorial reports of car manufacturing plants and processes in India and abroad.
newcoolgadgets is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:21   #50
Distinguished - BHPian
 
SS-Traveller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New Delhi
Posts: 8,160
Thanked: 27,084 Times

As everyone else said, brilliant, awesome, excellent.

The fact that Ford has (finally) decided to allow customers to procure component parts rather than replace a complete piece of machinery like a starter, compressor or alternator, would go a long way to perceptibly reduce service costs. That should come as really good news for Ford owners.

Was the paint shop out-of-bounds to T-BHP?
SS-Traveller is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:25   #51
Senior - BHPian
 
Gansan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 4,510
Thanked: 5,338 Times

That made my day, thanks! Needless to say,voted five star!
Gansan is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:49   #52
Senior - BHPian
 
ph03n!x's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 2,556
Thanked: 5,948 Times

Thanks for the tour, GTO!! You could have called for a Chennai meet while you were here - would have been an added bonus!

Last edited by GTO : 21st May 2010 at 23:01. Reason: Quoted post has been deleted
ph03n!x is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 22:50   #53
BHPian
 
setuniket's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Noida|New Delhi
Posts: 235
Thanked: 301 Times

Kudos to Ford to permitting this, this report allows we car enthusiasts to have a peek into the secretive world of car production lines, which only limited people with right source or connection can access. I mean if we contact and request a tour how many of car manufacturers will permit this. I guess none.

Lil OT I used to wonder where these rolled steel are used, when truck loads and train loads of them were bound towards Greater Noida. Now I realise these were for the Honda plant in GN.

The child parts concept is a great idea, now it wouldnt be easy for the dealer to push for say complete starter or alternator change.

Last edited by GTO : 21st May 2010 at 23:06. Reason: Vinaydas' post has been deleted
setuniket is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:00   #54
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Faridabad
Posts: 719
Thanked: 40 Times

That's such a coincidence! After seeing the Audi R8's production process on Nat Geo, I was tempted to know about the production process of my dream car, the Fiesta 1.6S and lo, I bumped into this thread. That was awesome GTO! Keep it up!
I now have another reason to make my dad like the Fiesta S. Will send him this link. WOW! It should be in the COLLECTION OF THE BEST THREADS. What do you think?
abhipuru16 is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:03   #55
Senior - BHPian
 
agspins's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: MH-31
Posts: 1,651
Thanked: 508 Times

Awesome GTO...that was just great.Child parts is a great move on Ford's part.Its really good to see company allowing the factory to be photographed, i remember when i visited MUL's Gurgaon plant we stripped of cellphones and were given a guided tour which wasn't revealing too much......
agspins is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:13   #56
BHPian
 
AlokSriva's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fremont
Posts: 486
Thanked: 72 Times

Only word I have is - WOW!!!

You made me nostalgic by reminding of the days I spent at HTS at KL and Caparo at Gurgaon.. Of course the level of automation wasn't this high, and neither were car manufacturers in strict sense of the word (pressing and welding subsidiaries).
AlokSriva is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:19   #57
Team-BHP Support
 
Jaggu's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 20,204
Thanked: 15,840 Times

This is awesome, truly heavenly place. How i envy you!!!

Great capture and nice report, thank you !
Jaggu is online now  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:36   #58
BHPian
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 365
Thanked: 186 Times

Thanks GTO for the piece.

A good educative and informative article. A very good PR attempt to boot. (Informative: cold running of engines etc. PR attempt: one can go ahead and buy a Ford without actually worrying about burning a hole in your pocket when your starter motor acts up!)

The only pictures I've seen of any auto manufacturing is on Discovery or National Geographic channels. Compared to those pictures, doesn't this Ford facility look a bit too cramped?
lejhoom is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:46   #59
BHPian
 
ikoneer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: chennai
Posts: 486
Thanked: 14 Times

Nice Review GTO as always with an eye for detail. You surely led us in and out of the factory in style.

Years back, i was also lucky enough to visit the ford chennai plant and Ford vietnam plant. In fact, was at ford vietnam for couple of weeks and my lunch time was spent walking around the new cars testing area. They have these stretch of rumblers, inclines and mini speed breakers along with good long roads for testing the cars.
no pics then, only memories.
ikoneer is offline  
Old 21st May 2010, 23:50   #60
Senior - BHPian
 
Gilead's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 2,142
Thanked: 60 Times

GTO, what a fantastic thread. You are living my dream. I have been trying to get inside that factory for about a year now without any success.

Is the 15 kmph actually enforced? Ford's service centres should take a hint from this. Cars are generally driven at break neck speed inside a cramped area. My car has been nicked twice.

Any idea how they change the line to accommodate production of the 1.6S which carries a different suspension? And does the line churn out only white Fiesta 1.6 SXis on a certain day and red Figo Titanium TDCis the next day and so on?

Were there any rattles in the 1.6S when it rolled down on the bad stretch with the engine off? And last but not the least, how was the track experience?

Did Ford provide any hints as to their future launches? We know the Fiesta hatch will be here soon, but what kind of a diesel engine will it sport? As of now, we only know the 120 bhp 1.6 petrol is coming for sure.

Were other media houses invited for this exercise as well?

I hope a Nissan factory tour is next in line. I have heard their facility is truly state of the art.

Last edited by Gilead : 21st May 2010 at 23:52.
Gilead is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks