Ford plans to expand the software capabilities for electric vehicles (EVs) at its Chennai-based Ford Business Solutions India division.
Established in September 2019 in Chennai, the Ford Global Technology and Business Centre (FGTBC) serves as a centre for innovative engineering and technology, product development, mobility solutions, and business services catering to international markets.
It is anticipated that Ford’s technological cluster in Chennai, which already employs 12,000 people, including data scientists, software developers, R&D engineers, and specialists in finance and accounting, would add 3,000 workers. The ambition to create more EV software capabilities is a sign of the potential Ford sees in India for software development to support its worldwide EV business strategy, which includes new product development.
Ford Business Solutions India was established in 1988 as a strategic initiative to offer Ford state-of-the-art solutions with an emphasis on cooperation and innovation. Having already invested over US$ 250 million (Rs 2,082 crore) in the Chennai centre, the business intends to make more investments.
The Ford Business Solutions project is essentially a global centre for business services and technology that aims to offer a wide range of creative solutions for the automaker’s global operations. The expertise spans a wide range of fields, including accounting and financial analysis, digital marketing, enterprise connectivity, manufacturing engineering, supply chain management, analytics, data sciences, artificial intelligence and machine learning, product engineering, and fintech.
Despite having stopped manufacturing operations in India, the country remains strategically important to the company, and the growing Ford Business Solutions India business activity remains an important global programme for the company.
Ford India stopped vehicle manufacturing operations on July 20, 2022, when the last made-in-India EcoSport SUV rolled off the assembly line at the Maraimalai Nagar plant in Chennai.
Meanwhile, Ford is understood to be evaluating its India market re-entry. Last month, the company’s head of the International Market Group visited India, close on the heels of the government of India announcing the new electric vehicle policy and paving the way for the entry of more global automakers in the country.
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