The Silverton manufacturing plant of global auto giant Ford Motor Company is improving its carbon footprint as well as the operations of its paint shop with an investment of millions of rands.

According to a Moneyweb report, the new investment follows the ZAR5.2 billion the company invested in 2023 to expand the plant to become the global manufacturing hub for the Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

The latest investment will be spent on upgrades to the paint plant to include new technology, and a water recycling plant.

‘This will be one of our major projects over the next two years to be able to start using the latest paint technologies that we have and increase the energy efficiency,’ said Ford SA operations director Rhys Davies. The upgrade is focused on the Ranger PHEV, which is already in mass production.

The auto maker says the Ranger PHEV is being exclusively produced in South Africa for the global export market.

1 April 2025
Image: Ford