Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


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Old 24th May 2010, 15:11   #121
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Thanks chap.
Reminds me of my visit to OPEL plant a Anwerpe in Belgium.
But is sad that, they are not what they where 2 years ago.
And the Belgians didnt let me take pics!!
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Old 24th May 2010, 15:20   #122
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This shows how seriously TBHP is being considered by car manufacturers.
Glories to GTO for bringing this home.

Now, my respect for and faith on Ford only increased. I think being transparent (in this way) needs guts.

Nice job Ford!
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Old 24th May 2010, 15:29   #123
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Awesome report, GTO - for a Ford fan, this is one heck of an article. Made sure I forwarded the link to many of my friends.

Was nice to see an Endy there - was wondering if it was the one I bought eventually!

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
I'm not sure if anyone else at the event noticed this board standing in the corner...but it sure as hell made me smile.
I love this - seen it in the newspapers as an ad a few years back. Saw it at Planet Ford showroom in the Pune the other day too. Wish I could get my hands on the poster somehow!
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Old 24th May 2010, 15:35   #124
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Excellent thread GTO. Good going by Ford to allow such detailed photos. I had been to Japan 2 years ago and seen the Mitsubishi factory...this one seems to be at similar levels. Its great to see such factories in India now.
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Old 24th May 2010, 15:45   #125
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Awesome work GTO
I guess after looking at the factory many people will have a different way of looking at Ford again.
Should go well for Ford guys
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Old 24th May 2010, 15:55   #126
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Truly amazing and informative!! Ford indeed was famous for its assembly line and thanks GTO for taking us virtually right in there.
Many things like the child parts, plans for 24 hrs shifts apart from the state of art assembly line proves how serious Ford is about India. Being a Ford fan, this is quite overwhelming.
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Old 24th May 2010, 16:37   #127
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Automobile industry is one of the industries which is heavily automated/ robotized. Added to that Ford being a long term player in this field, it shows up in the photographs. If GTO gets an opportunity to visit other companies also then we can compare.

Fiat boast of FIRE engine (Fully Integrated Robotized Engine) would it be better than this?

These photos were really amazing. Thanks Ford, Thanks GTO
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Old 24th May 2010, 16:57   #128
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very well covered report GTO.

As you said, its a daring to show off the whole production line to the world.

Nice to see so many cars waiting to be shipped.

Wondering if other manufacturers like Honda have such testing (like speed breakers) for Ground clearance testing !
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Old 24th May 2010, 17:00   #129
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Great write-up by GTO!!! Ford has moved closer to my heart...

On the child parts concept, I guess its a pretty old concept, atleast to all of us. If you consider the Amby and Fiat Padmini days, I am sure most parts were separately available off the shelf. Its after the entry of the Marutis in the mid 80s did the new concept of "assemblies and complete units" evolved. The mechanics were sure relieved with lesser parts to fix and more money coming in, while we have been the suffering lot!!

By the way, isn't Ford considering Auto transmission in India for the Figo?

Last edited by harishF1 : 24th May 2010 at 17:02.
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Old 24th May 2010, 17:05   #130
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This is awesome GTO !!!! I have never been inside a car assembly line, but this account satisfies my hunger for this particular aspect.

Thanks a Lot !!!
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Old 24th May 2010, 17:12   #131
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This is a fabulous write up GTO. It shows how serious Ford is about the Indian market, especially the child parts piece, which shows that serious thought has gone into areas previously unthought of (atleast for Ford). This shows that they are serious about shedding their image of being a "expensive to maintain" car company.
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Old 24th May 2010, 18:23   #132
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It was really great of Ford to let you take your Camera in with you and shoot pics of the assembly lines. I wonder why most other manufacturers have an aversion to letting someone do that when Ford doesn't.
Does it mean Ford has nothing to hide
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Old 24th May 2010, 18:35   #133
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Ford Ikon yes?

Now that I have read GTO's superb thread on Ford's manufacturing facility in Singaara Chennai and the "child parts" strategy, I feel tempted to buy the Ikon with one of the bigger mills that they have. Would this be advisable?

Last edited by Jaggu : 24th May 2010 at 19:21. Reason: Please continue in existing thread. Thanks
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Old 24th May 2010, 19:16   #134
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Excellent article GTO, I am hooked to it since I have come to office.
Truly a 5 Star rating article.
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Old 24th May 2010, 19:20   #135
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Thanks (again) for the 5 star thread rating, guys!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
+1. Great to see Ford has taken the step but it remains to be seen how well the dealer with take this to heart. Child part approach for them is more work and less revenue.
True. And Ford dealers aren't necessarily the best of the breed, are they?

Quote:
Originally Posted by auto-one View Post
I also wish to add that the concept of changing only the faulty part and not the entire assembly / section in the cars is not new in India. We have been experiencing this in cars like the Padmini and the Amby,as well as in the age old Bajaj scooters.
Totally agreed. However, for cars costing over 5 - 6 lakhs, few manufacturers sell child parts. There's an additional overhead in terms of production flexibility + loss in revenue (vis a vis selling complete parts).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram_NP View Post
By the way, any Videos taken during the tour?
I think the camera request was enough . What's that they say about offering someone a finger and them taking the entire hand? Maybe next time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sameer sultan View Post
I say! (in true chennai lingo) whistle podu for GTO
Thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rvmohankumar View Post
good to see these pics and i am proud to say that this is what i do for a living. that is designing the Semi automatic and fully automatic body engineering lines for the likes of Indian, European and American auto giants.
Whoa! Great to have you onboard. It'd be awesome if you could comment on (the pros / cons of) the pictures from the 1st page. Whats cool, whats not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by _raVan_ View Post
Excellent work GTO Personally I have been to Mahindra's Tractor assembly around a decade back (although it is quite different than what is shown here).
A couple of us Moderators had visited Mahindra's plant at Kandivali in 2005. I can tell you it wasn't a pretty sight! The lack of automation had left us surprised. Link to Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by harishF1 View Post
By the way, isn't Ford considering Auto transmission in India for the Figo?
I am extremely surprised that neither Ford nor GM - masters of the AT (American market = 99% AT) - offer automatic hatchbacks in India. Its only Hyundai, and to a lesser extent, Maruti who do.
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