In 2011, Ford Romania had turnover of just EUR185 million, but in 2012 it climbed to EUR600 million, according to ZF estimates.
The turnover of Ford Romania could this year for the first time go above EUR2 billion as the US company has started production of a second engine in April, while B-Max is nearing production of 80,000-100,000 units.
This year, considering a pace of 1,000 engines and 365 cars per day, Ford could make almost 250,000 engines and 80,000 B-Max cars, with the engines worth EUR875 million and cars worth EUR1.2 billion. Their total value could amount to nearly EUR2.1 billion, considering an average price of EUR15,000 for cars and EUR3,500 for engines.
Last year Ford manufactured almost 27,000 1.0-liter EcoBoost engines worth EUR81 million in Craiova, according to ZF estimates, considering an average price of EUR3,000 per engine, as well as 33,500 B-Max cars, worth a total of over EUR500 million considering an average price of EUR15,000.
Ford on Monday started the production of its new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine at its plant in Craiova.
The 1.5-liter EcoBoost is the second engine built at the plant in Craiova after the 1.0-liter EcoBoost which was launched in 2012.
The new four-cylinder engine will be first introduced in China in the all-new Ford Mondeo, which will make its public debut later this month at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show.
Almost 100 1.5-liter EcoBoost engines made by Ford at the Romanian plant are exported daily to Ford’s Chinese plant, where the assembly of the new Ford Mondeo has already started.
The main export markets for the new engine will be China, the US, Thailand, Mexico and Spain.
Jan Gijsen, president of Ford Romania, says the “1.5-liter engine is now made for the US and Chinese markets, which are currently growing.”
“Of the EUR230 million investment, around EUR180 million was the investment for the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine and EUR50 million for the 1.5-liter engine. The estimated mix between the two engines is around 50/50 as we near the end of the year, but it is hard to estimate because of the markets,” said Ian Peterson, head of the engine production section at the Craiova plant.
Ford has a total of 42 suppliers who make parts in Romania. Most of them make parts for B-Max, but some also produce for other Ford plants in Europe.
“Their number has increased significantly in the last four or five years because many part manufacturers relocated production to Eastern Europe and in particular to Romania. We will continue to grow in Romania and it will be in the advantage of part manufacturers to be here,” Jan Gijsen said.
Tyre manufacturers such as Continental, Pirelli and Michelin have announced investments in Romania, and so has electronic parts manufacturer Bosch, who is investing in a new plant in Cluj (western Romania), while Daimler plans to open an engine parts plant in Arad. On the other hand, Dacia says it can make cars more efficiently in Morocco than at its Romanian plant because workforce costs are half what they are in Romania, around EUR250 per month.
As for making a second car in Craiova, the head of the company says in the long term the plant is set for high production, but that no new model is planned for this year.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)