Ford Vietnam - Symbol of successful FDI attraction of Hai Duong

In 1995, shortly after Vietnam and the United States officially normalized relations, Ford Motor was one of the leading US companies investing in Vietnam. With the consent of the Vietnamese Government and Hai Duong province, in 1995, the Ford Vietnam joint venture began laying the first bricks to build an assembly plant at the gateway to Hai Duong city. Ford's production line in Hai Duong began operating in the early fourth quarter of 1997.

Initially, Ford Hai Duong had a designed capacity of 14,000 vehicles/year, with full ISO quality standards. By the end of February 2008, Ford Vietnam assembled more than 35,000 cars. With the growth of the market, Ford Vietnam's position on the world map is increasingly consolidated.

To affirm this role, in 2020 Ford Vietnam received an expansion investment package worth more than VND 2,000 billion to upgrade the Ford Hai Duong Factory, bringing the capacity to 40,000 vehicles/year.

“The upgraded production line allows Ford Hai Duong Factory to assemble modern vehicles, such as the new generation Ranger and Territory, and is also ready for future product lines,” said Mr. Ruchik Shah, General Director of Ford Vietnam.

After more than a quarter of a century of operation, the Ford Factory in Hai Duong has continuously updated its production line, launching many product lines that have made Ford's brand in Vietnam such as Trader, Transit, Ranger, Escape, Everest, Laser, Fiesta, Focus...

Ford Vietnam is not only one of the leading enterprises of Hai Duong industry, but also has many creative solutions in management. Open office is a completely new concept that has been applied. Office staff can work outside of a rigid physical space, customers are consulted, choose products without having to go to stores or dealers. Service activities are performed at the customer's chosen location instead of fixed facilities. This model has brought positive results. Changing on the principle of focusing on customers and bringing the best value to customers has helped the business stand firm even during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and fluctuations in the world economy.

2023 is a difficult year for automobile manufacturers and distributors in the Vietnamese automobile market, witnessing a continuous decline in sales. It is estimated that total market sales in 2023 will decrease by nearly 30% compared to 2022. The global context continues to challenge the entire automobile industry in terms of adaptability and development in an ever-changing environment. Ford Vietnam is one of the few automakers to maintain stable sales, going against the tide and achieving the highest monthly sales record in December and the highest annual sales record in 2023 with more than 38,300 vehicles. Ford Vietnam is increasingly affirming its position as one of Ford's four key markets in the region.

With a series of promotional and stimulus activities, Ford achieved a sales record in December with 4,854 vehicles; achieved a yearly sales record with a total of 38,322 Ford vehicles sold, an increase of nearly 33% compared to 2022 and leading the segment of 3 out of 5 product lines.

In addition, Ford Vietnam is constantly improving the customer experience with the global Ford+ plan. A series of new applications such as FordPass, online service booking or Ford Guest Experience are being deployed across the entire system. Thereby affirming the motto of customers being the center, being treated like family to ensure customers are always satisfied with what Ford brings.

Not only improving and enhancing technology and techniques, Ford Hai Duong also invests in developing human resources. From 40 technicians in the early days, the factory now has more than 1,200 officers and employees. Despite being a heavy industry, Ford Hai Duong always focuses on gender equality. More than 20% of the factory's workforce are female, and many female officers and employees hold important positions.

With efforts, determination and strategic decisions, in 2023, Ford Vietnam contributed more than VND 4,600 billion to Hai Duong's domestic budget, the highest and accounting for ¾ of the total budget contribution of 7 key enterprises. Ford Vietnam is not only a strong brand in the global automobile manufacturing, assembly and distribution industry, but also a symbol of Hai Duong's successful FDI attraction.