After two decades of direct imports from Thailand, the Ford Ranger, a segment-leading pickup truck, is now officially assembled in Vietnam. This marks Ford’s long-term commitment to the Vietnamese market, with the production line located at the Ford Hai Duong plant, adhering to Ford Motor’s global assembly standards. This event follows Ford’s initial investment of VND 2,000 billion in upgrading and expanding its automobile manufacturing plant in Hai Duong.
Previously, Vietnamese consumers were familiar with the Ford Ranger imported from Thailand. The shift to domestic assembly of this pickup model has raised concerns about product quality. To address these concerns, Mr. Pham Van Dung, General Director of Ford Vietnam, affirmed: “Ford vehicles manufactured at any plant worldwide maintain consistent quality.”
Ford Ranger CKD assembly line at Ford Hai Duong plant
In reality, all components for the Ford Ranger CKD assembly are imported. Thus, in essence, the Ford Ranger produced in Vietnam is no different from imported vehicles, except for the assembly process being carried out domestically. The majority of the production process still maintains the standards and quality of imported vehicles.
Extensive technical improvements have been implemented in the production line at the Ford Hai Duong plant to ensure that Ford Ranger pickup trucks manufactured in Vietnam meet global quality standards when they reach consumers.
Automated welding robots in the Ford Ranger body shop in Vietnam
Specifically, the new Body Shop is equipped with up to 90% automation, along with an Interlock system for operational safety control and welding processes. Weld quality is 100% guaranteed to be defect-free. The new paint shop also uses automated conveyors to transport vehicles, optimizing time and labor.
The application of modern robots from the Durr Group (Germany) in the painting process ensures that each pickup truck produced in Vietnam is painted fully automatically. This guarantees paint surface quality, thickness, and gloss according to Ford Motor’s stringent standards.
Automated robotic painting process at Ford Ranger Vietnam plant
Dry paint separation technology through X-dry filter cores and air circulation for the robot spray booth helps save paint, energy, and protect the environment thanks to its ability to filter out all paint dust particles.
Modern assembly line at Ford Hai Duong plant producing Ranger pickups
The final assembly shop has also been upgraded with automated conveyors, capable of tilting for assembly in two directions. Torque control tools from Sweden ensure precise torque, guaranteeing assembly quality.
The quality inspection area at the Ford Hai Duong plant is equipped with a steering alignment system using the most modern 3D simulation technology from Germany. This system dynamically adjusts steering and automatically balances vehicles with high reliability, ensuring the quality of each Ford Ranger pickup truck that leaves the factory.
