Ford Romania

Last updated
Ford Otosan Romania SRL
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Automotive
Predecessor Automobile Craiova
Founded21 March 2008;
16 years ago (21 March 2008)
Headquarters Craiova, Romania
Key people
Fırat Elhüseyni, president [1]
Products Automobiles, engines
Production output
Increase2.svg 190,964 vehicles (2023) [2]
RevenueDecrease2.svg 13,667 million lei
(€2,74 million) (2023) [3]
Increase2.svg -15,1 million lei (2023) [3]
Number of employees
Increase2.svg 5,581 (2023) [3]
Parent Ford Otosan
Website ford.ro

Ford Otosan Romania SRL, commonly referred to as Ford Romania, is an automobile manufacturing company operated by Ford Otosan, located in Craiova, Romania. [4] The company was established in 2008 after Ford's purchase of Daewoo Automobile Romania. In 2022, the Ford Romania company was purchased by Ford Otosan and changed its name to Ford Otosan Romania SRL.

Contents

The first Ford subsidiary company in Romania was founded in Bucharest in 1931 and functioned until 1948 when it was nationalized by the Communist authorities. In the 1930s the factory owned by Ford Româna could manufacture 600–700 vehicles per year and was one of six Ford facilities with both assembly and production lines. [5]

History

20th century

Ford Factory in Floreasca, Bucharest, 1935 Old photo of the Ford Factory in Floreasca, Bucharest.jpg
Ford Factory in Floreasca, Bucharest, 1935

Royal Garage imported Ford cars as early as May 1911. Shortly, other agencies such as Colin & Co., Leonida & Co., Noel S.A.R, and Raf S.A.R. expanded the market. Numerous political figures owned Ford cars. Among them was Ion I. C. Brătianu, whose daughter used to call her car Forduța. Ford cars were an instant success, thus between May 1911 and November 1912, Royal Garage already sold 106 Ford cars. On December 8, 1920, Collin & Co. requested on behalf of the Ford Motor Company the permission to build an assembly plant in Romania. Unfortunately, Vintilă Brătianu, who was "notoriously anti-American", rejected the proposal to the regret of the people directly involved as well as the public opinion. [6]

In October 1927, William G. Collins (in the future, assistant manager in Alexandria, Egypt) renewed the proposal for establishing an assembly plant in Constanța. [6] Finally, in 1931, Ford Motor Company opened a subsidiary in Bucharest – Ford Româna S.A.R. [5] This was followed by the establishment of an assembly line in Bucharest in 1932, after the conclusion of the negotiations between King Carol II and Henry Ford. [7] On March 1, 1935, Ford Romania addressed a request for building a new plant on Calea Floreasca, under the name Uzina de Montaj Ford Româna S.A.R. [8] The architect was Paul Emil Miclescu, [7] with the contribution of Ioana Golescu. The company had previously bought 7,535 square meters from Imobiliara Chrissoveloni, at the price of 2,335,850 lei on September 26, 1934. Furthermore, Ford Romania intended to receive the advantages granted by the law encouraging the national industry, to sign a treaty for ten years, and to import 2,500 units per year, and the ability to increase this number if the demand would be higher. Lastly, the company requested to be taxed on parts rather than on built-up units. [6]

On May 6, 1936, the Government reduced the privileges granted to Ford, thus the number of imported units dropped to 100; the names of the parts were individually identified, such as paint, valve oil. [6] On May 15, 1936, the assembly plant situated in Bd. V. Craiu (Calea Floreasca) opened. The capacity of this assembly plant was 2,500 cars per year and different reparations at 6,000 cars yearly. The employees comprised: "250 workers, from whom five foreign foremen, five technicians and a Romanian draughtsman. The technical manager was a Romanian engineer (L. D. Greceanu). The administrative management was to be held by a general manager, Austrian citizen, helped by five managers, four Romanian citizens and a Swiss one, who are helped at the office by twelve bookkeepers and twenty-six administrative clerks, five of them foreign citizens". [6]

Ford Româna S.A.R. started the first car production line in Eastern Europe at the facility in the Floreasca neighborhood of Bucharest where it assembled 1935 Ford (V8-48 and V8-68 models), 1937 Ford (V8-74/78, V8-81A/82A, V8-91A/92A and V8-01A/02A models), in Standard and De Luxe versions, Mercury Eight, as well as Marmon-Herrington and Fordson trucks. [9] [10] In the 1930s, the facility from Bucharest was one of six such facilities that Ford owned in the world. The production output of the plant reached 600–700 vehicles per year with other vehicles being assembled from imported kits. [5] In 1937, Edsel Ford was named administrator of the Bucharest factories, while Nicolae Malaxa was assigned as the president of the Ford Romania company. By 1939, the Bucharest factory diversified its products with various types of trucks built on the Fordson 157 truck chassis which was entirely produced in the country. [7] [11]

The plant continued production until World War II when the factory was placed under the control of the Romanian Army and continued mainly repair activities for the army vehicle fleet. [12] Production of military trucks also continued with 2,320 3-ton trucks, 200 fuel trucks and 488 Marmon-Herringtons delivered between 1939 and 1942. [6] [13] With Romania taking Germany's side during the war, the imports from the United Kingdom and the United States were stopped and a new Austrian director was placed in charge of the factory. After August 1944, the plant continued repair works for both Romanian and Soviet army vehicles. After the war, in 1948, the company was nationalized, and changed its activity to become Automatica in 1960, a manufacturer of electrical equipment and automation. [5] [14]

21st century

Ford EcoSport in front of the Ford Romania headquarters Ford Romania (37946036241).jpg
Ford EcoSport in front of the Ford Romania headquarters

In modern times the company is located in Craiova, in the former Oltcit car factory, later Daewoo Motors facility in Romania (as Daewoo Automobile Romania), which Ford acquired in 2008 from the Romanian government. [15]

Vehicle production at the plant began in September 2009 with the Ford Transit Connect, [16] and later with the Ford B-Max. Engine production at the plant includes three- and four-cylinder versions of Ford's EcoBoost engine family. [17] The plant has a production capacity of 300,000 units per year and it was the country's third company by value of exports in 2016. [18]

In March 2016, it was announced that the Ford EcoSport will be built at the Craiova plant starting from the autumn of 2017, moving production for the European market from the manufacturing plant in Chennai, India. This happened on the background of the growing market for the SUV segment in Europe, and brought an investment of €200 million to the factory. [19] In 2019, Ford began production of the Ford Puma at the facility in Romania. [20]

In March 2022, it was announced that Ford Otosan is going to purchase the ownership of Ford Romania. [21] The transfer of the Craiova facility from the Ford Motor Company subsidiary Ford of Europe was completed in July 2022. The same year, Ford Otosan announced that the production will be increased and electric car models will also be produced. [4] [22] In 2024, the company received a loan of 435 million euros from a consortium of banks intended to expand the investments into equipment, installations and engineering area of the Craiova factory. [23] [24]

Products

Ford Pumas loaded on a car carrier trailer in Romania Ford Puma auto transport trailer in Romania.jpg
Ford Pumas loaded on a car carrier trailer in Romania

Automobiles

Historic

Engines

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automobile Dacia</span> Romanian car manufacturer

S.C. Automobile Dacia S.A., commonly known as Dacia, is a Romanian car manufacturer that takes its name from the historical region that constitutes present-day Romania. The company was established in 1966. In 1999, after 33 years, the Romanian government sold Dacia to the French car manufacturer Groupe Renault. It is Romania's largest company by revenue and the largest exporter, constituting 8% of the country's total exports in 2018. In 2021, the Dacia marque sold 537,074 passenger and commercial vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Leyland</span> 1968–1986 automotive manufacturing conglomerate

British Leyland was a British automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partly nationalised in 1975, when the UK government created a holding company called British Leyland, later renamed BL in 1978. It incorporated much of the British-owned motor vehicle industry, which in 1968 had a 40% share of the UK car market, with its history going back to 1895. Despite containing profitable marques such as Jaguar, Rover, and Land Rover, as well as the best-selling Mini, BLMC had a troubled history, leading to its eventual collapse in 1975 and subsequent part-nationalisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AutoAlliance Thailand</span> Joint venture automobile assembly

Auto Alliance Co., Ltd. or AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) is the name of a joint venture automobile assembly firm co-owned by Ford and Mazda in Rayong province, Thailand. Modeled after the Ford-Mazda AutoAlliance International joint venture in the United States, AAT builds compact pickup trucks and SUVs primarily for the Southeast Asian market, with exports to Australia and other developing markets as well.

ROMAN is a truck and bus manufacturer from Brașov, Romania. It was established after World War II on the foundation of the old ROMLOC automotive factory built in 1921. In 1948, the industrial plant was named Steagul Roșu, and later Intreprinderea de Autocamioane Brașov. In 1990, it became ROMAN SA. The company has a special truck division, under the DAC brand name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lima Engine</span> Ford Motor Company automobile engine plant in Lima, Ohio

Lima Engine is a Ford Motor Company automobile engine plant located in Lima, Ohio, United States.

Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş., doing business as Ford Otosan, is an automotive manufacturing company based in Turkey that is equally owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. The company was established in its current form in 1977, with original relations dating back to 1928. It currently operates in six locations: Gölcük and Yeniköy plants in Kocaeli, İnönü plant in Eskişehir, Craiova plant in Romania, Sancaktepe R&D Center and spare parts warehouse in Istanbul The company employs more than 20,000 people and had a production capacity of over 700,000 vehicles, 400,000 engines, and 140,000 powertrains by 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford-Vairogs</span> Car manufacturer based in Riga, Latvia

Ford-Vairogs was the name of a car factory in Riga, Latvia that produced license-built Ford cars between September 1937 and 1940 when it was expropriated as the property of the Soviet government. Not including the war department orders, Ford-Vairogs made 200 buses, 1000 trucks and 332 automobiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford of Britain</span> British subsidiary of Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company Limited, trading as Ford of Britain, is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Technologies Limited, itself a subsidiary of Ford International Capital LLC, which is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Laindon, Essex. It adopted the name of Ford of Britain in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Police</span> Law enforcement agency

The Romanian Police is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and it is led by a General Inspector with the rank of Secretary of State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Brasil</span> Brazilian import subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company Brasil Ltda. is the Brazilian subsidiary of American automaker Ford Motor Company, founded on 24 April 1919. The operation started out importing the Ford Model T cars and the Ford Model TT trucks in kit form from the United States for assembly in Brazil. The Ford brand, however, had already been present in the country since 1904 with both vehicles being sold in Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oltena</span> Romanian car manufacturer

Oltena was a Romanian car manufacturer formed in 1991 after the takeover of the Oltcit shares held by Citroën by the Romanian state. From 1994 and up until 2006, Automobile Craiova S.A. (ACSA) had as its basic activity the sale of various spare parts and accessories for Oltena, Dacia and Daewoo cars.

Much of the Romanian manufacturing industry consists of branch plants of foreign firms, though there are some important domestic manufacturers, such as Automobile Dacia, Ford Romania, Roman Braşov and Igero. In 2018, est. 500,000 automobiles were produced in Romania.

In 2012, Romania's largest trading partner was Germany, followed by Italy. Romania's main exports to Germany were insulated wire, cars and vehicle parts, whereas its main German imports are cars and vehicle parts. The principal Italian imports to Romania include hides, footwear parts, medicaments, telephones and vehicle parts. Romania's chief exports to Italy included leather footwear, cars, telephones, tobacco, men's suits, seats and iron pipes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Turkey</span>

The automotive industry in Turkey plays an important role in the manufacturing sector of the Turkish economy. The companies operating in the Turkish automotive sector are mainly located in the Marmara Region, especially Bursa.

This article provides an overview of the automotive industry in countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Motor Company</span> American multinational automobile manufacturer

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand, and luxury cars under its Lincoln brand. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family. They have minority ownership but a plurality of the voting power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford B-Max</span> Mini MPV produced by Ford (2012-2017)

The Ford B-Max is a mini MPV (M-segment) manufactured by Ford Europe from 2012 to 2017. Built on the Ford global B platform, it was initially unveiled as a concept car at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, and was officially launched at the 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oltcit</span>

Oltcit S.A. was an automobile manufacturer, established as a joint venture between the communist Romanian government (64%) and Citroën (36%). Their main products were the Oltcit Club and Citroën Axel hatchbacks, assembled in Craiova, Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DEx12 expressway</span> Expressway in Romania

The DEx12 expressway, also known as the Pitești–Craiova Expressway, is a partially built expressway in the south-western part of Romania, previously labelled as A12, when it was considered as a future motorway. It will connect the cities of Pitești, Slatina and Craiova, being 121 km long, with an estimated total cost of 1.66 billion euro.

ROMARM is a Romanian state-owned defense company and Romania's main supplier for defense technique and services. The company owns 15 factories and a research institute.

References

  1. ↑ "Ford Otosan anunță schimbări la conducerea fabricii din Craiova. Fırat Elhüseyni va fi acum noul președinte și director al companiei". economedia.ro (in Romanian). 27 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Roxana Roșu (22 January 2024). "Automobile Dacia și Ford Otosan au produs în 2023 un număr record de mașini". mediafax.ro (in Romanian).
  3. 1 2 3 "Ford Otosan Romania S.R.L." termene.ro. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Ford Otosan Romania". amcham.ro.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mihai Fira (1 December 2023). "Analiză: Cum a evoluat producția de mașini din România din perioada interbelică și până astăzi". wall-street.ro (in Romanian).
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lavinia Popica (2010). "Ford Motor Company in Romania". Muzeul Național. No. XXII. ISSN   1015-0323.
  7. 1 2 3 Mihaela Manolache (2023). "Reclamele industriei automobilului în presa românească interbelică" (PDF). Revista Bibliotecii Naționale a României. No. 45-46 (2019-2020). pp. 133–134. ISSN   3008-2390.
  8. ↑ Ștefan Both (29 April 2019). "Ford-uri fabricate în România interbelică, la uzina din Bucureşti, salvate de la dispariţie". adevarul.ro (in Romanian).
  9. ↑ FORD-urile româneşti asamblate la Uzina de Montaj FORD ROMÂNA S.A.R.
  10. ↑ Axworthy, Mark (1995). Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945. London: Arms and Armour. pp. 38, 96–97.
  11. ↑ Zetu Harrys (12 November 2021). "In 1937, fiul lui Henry Ford, Edsel Ford venea in Romania pentru a prelua conducerea fabricii din Floreasca". delta-stiri.com (in Romanian).
  12. ↑ Fabrica Ford din Bucuresti: ce masini cu motoare V8 se construiau in Floreasca
  13. ↑ "100 de ani de automobilism militar-partea a doua". Suntem România (in Romanian). 18 March 2017.
  14. ↑ History of "Automatica"
  15. ↑ "Ford - Romanian Expansion" (PDF). Ford Motor Company. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  16. ↑ "Ford Romania va trece de la o productie de 10 la 700 de masini pe zi". Income Magazine. 22 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "Fact Sheet - December 2013" (PDF). Ford Motor Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Ford România S.A." Ziarul Financiar. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Ford to Build EcoSport Small SUV at its Craiova Assembly Plant in Romania Starting Next Year". Ford Media Center. 22 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Ford Begins Puma Production In Romania". industryeurope.com. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  21. ↑ Andrei Chirileasa (2022-03-14). "Ford transfers Romanian factory to Turkish partner Ford Otosan, announces electric models to be built in Craiova". Romania Insider. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  22. ↑ Bogdan Alecu (11 May 2023). "Ford Otosan pregăteşte viitorul electric la uzina din Craiova cu 1.300 de noi locuri de muncă". zf.ro (in Romanian).
  23. ↑ Robert Stan (26 March 2024). "Uzina Ford Otosan din Craiova primește o finanțare de 435 mil. euro". economica.net (in Romanian).
  24. ↑ "BCR face parte din sindicatul de bănci care a susținut finanțarea de 435 milioane pentru Ford Otosan România". bursa.ro (in Romanian). 29 March 2024.
  25. 1 2 "Ford has produced 400,000 EcoBoost engines in Craiova". The Romania Journal. 8 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.