Production start of the Explorer: Why work at the Ford plant will not decrease

Hall Y at the Ford plant in Cologne-Niehl: the assembly line is still running relatively slowly. The finished painted bodies are completed here with everything an electric car needs. The pre-assembled chassis with electric motors at the front and rear, brakes, suspension, shock absorbers, axles and battery pack in the middle is brought in from below. At the "wedding", it is bolted to the painted body: "With the Fiesta, there were six bolts, with the Explorer there are 58. So much for the question of whether electric cars are easier to manufacture," says Joch Bruckmann. He is organizing the start-up of the new Ford Explorer at the Cologne plant. The first model was built today and will be delivered to an end customer. In industry jargon, this is called SOP, Start of Production.

The wedding is not the only station in Hall Y where assembly has become more complicated since the last Ford Fiesta rolled off the production line here two years ago. Quality assurance has also had to be upgraded: before the drive and body are joined together, cameras and laser scanners check that screw connections are in place and that the clips on hoses, cables and plugs are correctly engaged. "Artificial intelligence helps us with the checks. It is constantly learning," says Bruckmann. This turns an experienced digital employee into an infallible one.

Whereas in the Fiesta's three-cylinder engine, a simple valve diverted the warm water from the engine to heat the interior, the Ford Explorer has a complex thermal management system with a heat pump, which also ensures cozy temperatures in the battery if required. "For us in assembly, the Explorer is no easier to produce than the Fiesta. On the contrary," says Bruckmann. In the record year of 2019, 2200 Fiesta cars were assembled in Hall Y in three shifts - per day. Currently, 250 Explorers roll off the production line here every day. One day there will be 640 in two-shift operation. More than 1000 people will then be employed in the final assembly of the Explorer. In the Fiesta days, there were only 750.

Up to 250,000 Explorers, including the planned coupé variant, are theoretically possible per year. Whether there will be that many depends crucially on the market. Demand there is currently rather subdued. "Some say we're too late with the Explorer, others say we're too early. I say we're right on time," says Rene Wolf, Managing Director Production at Ford. "If we were still building the Fiesta here, our employees here wouldn't have good prospects for the future."

The Cologne plant employs 13,000 people. Built on the Rhine in 1931, it was at times the most productive car factory in Europe. It is now the first Ford plant in the world to produce only electric cars. Not only the Fiesta, but also engine production has disappeared from Cologne. Despite this, the number of employees is not set to fall, says production boss Wolf: more than 3,000 are to build the new Explorer, with a further 300 starting battery production in the second half of the year.

Ford is currently sourcing the batteries, as well as the engines, from Volkswagen. The Explorer is technically based on the VW Group's MEB platform, like the ID 4, Audi Q4 or Skoda Enyaq. However, the ID 4 will only receive the new technology that the Ford is already using in a few months' time when the model is revised. The Explorer's battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 26 minutes.

Ford is taking a big risk with the Explorer, as the model is targeting a market, at least in Germany, that does not currently want to know much about electric cars. Anne Lena Strigel would like to change that. She is responsible for Explorer sales in Europe. "We have to take customers with us on the path to transformation," she says. Retailers should offer more test drives, because once you've driven an electric car, you won't be getting out any time soon.

The price of the Explorer, 45,000 euros for the version with a large battery and a range of 600 kilometers, is only high at first glance, says the sales and marketing expert: "Every model is practically fully equipped, for example with 19-inch aluminum rims, electric seats with massage function and heated steering wheel." The surcharge list is short. This puts the price gap to comparable combustion models into perspective. In any case, they are confident in Hall Y that the Explorer will sell well. (aum/gr)