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Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) on Wednesday donated two locally-produced Duratorq TDCi engines to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in furtherance of its commitment to education, skills development, training and research in South Africa.
The high-tech turbodiesel engines were handed over to the university’s Ford Engine Research Unit (FERU) by Jim Vella, President of the Ford Motor Company Fund, and Ockert Berry, FMCSA Vice President Operations, at a special media event .
The Duratorq TDCi engines are machined and assembled at Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, and power the highly successful Pretoria-built Ford Ranger that is exported to 148 markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
These donated engines, comprising the latest 2.2-litre four-cylinder and powerful 3.2-litre five-cylinder units, will be used by FERU – which is part of the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering – to expand the development of engineering expertise, and facilitate engine testing and research amongst its students.
Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant already has a partnership with the NMMU, which commenced with the launch of FERU in 2012. The facility conducts independent engine testing for Ford, while also creating reciprocal training and research opportunities between Ford and the university.
“Education and skills development is a core component of Ford’s Better World philosophy, which aims to uplift communities and improve people’s lives,” Vella said. “We are proud to see Ford forge an even closer alliance with NMMU, creating greater opportunities for skills development, and generating a pool of automotive engineers for the future.”
Community building in Africa
Over the next five years, the Ford Fund, which is the philanthropic branch of Ford Motor Company, is investing $4-million towards community building across the African continent. This includes the announcement of the new Ford Research and Engagement Centre (FREC) that will be opened near Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria.
The new centre, which is modelled on the highly successful FREC in southwest Detroit, is scheduled to open in October this year. It will become the first international expansion of this concept, with Ford Motor Company Fund investing more than R2-million annually to provide job training and entrepreneurial development for approximately 200 people a year.
Improving lives in Port Elizabeth
As part of his first-ever visit to Port Elizabeth, Vella is also visiting two local projects supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund. The Ford Fund has a strong association with the city, having funded a multi-year programme to provide housing for residents of the Vastrap informal settlement in Booysen Park.
The project started out as part of Ford’s annual Global Week of Caring, which has now developed into the far-reaching Global Month of Caring, held in September each year. This sees thousands of Ford employees around the world volunteering their time, energy and expertise to improve the lives of others.
Over the past two years, the team from the Struandale Engine Plant and local non-profit organisation KICK converted 11 shipping containers into housing units for 20 destitute families in Vastrap. The so-called ‘Blue Village’ has become a landmark of hope and opportunity in this poor community, and provides safe and secure homes for young families, as well as the elderly.
“The Vastrap container project really captures the spirit of Ford’s ‘Better World’ programme, and we are proud to support this wonderful initiative that goes a long way to improving peoples’ lives,” Vella said.
In co-operation with the Nelson Mandela Bay’s Department of Human Settlements, and with further support from the Ford Motor Company Fund, the team is planning the next phase of the project. This aims to replicate the process at a new transit site, which will provide temporary housing before the families are allocated permanent homes at the new Khayamnandi and Joe Slovo housing sites in Port Elizabeth.
Along with numerous other local community projects, the Ford Fund has also assisted Jeanny’s Soup Kitchen, located in Malabar, by funding the conversion of two shipping containers, one of which serves as a kitchen and the other as a dining hall and community centre.
Run by Jeanny Edwards, the volunteer organisation supplies hearty, home-cooked meals for around 300 children and adults from the local area three times a week, providing much-needed sustenance for this impoverished community.
