This is the second part of an earlier blog post.

After visiting the Ford India Engine Plant, the bloggers were showcased the company’s efforts to reduce the cost of owning Ford cars through its selection of child parts. These child parts reduce the cost of repairing or replacing spare parts by eliminating the need to replace large sections of the car. This is done by simplifying major assemblies into component-level parts. For example, a starter motor, which was previously replaced as a complete unit, has now been classified into several component-level parts such as the arm assembly, housing assembly, bushing, drive assembly and solenoid assembly. Similar child parts are also developed for engine components and transmission systems, to name a few.

“Ford has taken an awesome initiative to reduce costs at both the manufacturing as well as maintenance level. Owners of the Figo will experience very reasonable prices of spares. Add to that, the company has ensured that you don’t need to change the complete part should anything go wrong with a part being made of sub-parts and thus making it cheap to replace,” Faisal of Motorbeam wrote on his blog.

The last stop for the bloggers was the delivery yard, where the cars are stored when they are ready for delivery hundreds of Ford Figos stood waiting to be delivered to dealers. For the car-loving bloggers, it was a fascinating experience to watch the journey of a Ford car from bare metal to the finished product. It gave them all a glimpse into cutting-edge car manufacturing technology. Ford India is a 6-Sigma company, and every process and step is planned to perfection.

February 5, 2010 was an exciting and memorable day for everybody at Ford India. It was a day when we achieved not one, but two milestones – a day of double celebrations!

Firstly, it was a proud moment as our Figo’s first production model was driven off the assembly line at the Maraimalai Nagar plant in Chennai. What made it all the more special was the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Dr. M Karunanidhi and Deputy Chief Minister Dr. M K Stalin. Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India; Raj Nair, vice president of operations, Asia Pacific and Africa; Sandip Sanyal, executive director of operations, Ford India and nearly three thousand employees of the newly expanded Chennai facilities were all on hand to join in the Job 1 ceremony.

“Michael Boneham (Michael Boneham, president and managing director, Ford India), Raj Nair (VP, operations- Ford APA), sitting in white CM Dr. M Karunanidhi, standing in white is Deputy CM Dr. M K Stalin.”

“Figo is a great example of the role Ford will play in the future of India,” Dr. Karunanidhi said during the ceremony.

Michael restated the vision for Ford in India, saying, “Less than six months ago, Ford Motor Company reaffirmed its commitment to transform the plant located here outside Chennai into a regional manufacturing centre of excellence.”

“It’s a great honour to have you with us as our projects and investments are turning to reality and the completion of our first Ford Figo off this assembly line,” he told our special guests.

Secondly, the Job 1 ceremony was followed by the inauguration of the new engine facility that manufactures the exclusive 1.2L petrol engine for Figo. Dr. M K Stalin congratulated the Ford India team for the new engine plant facility and wished us all the best for the Figo launch.

“Left to right: Dr M.K Stalin (standing in white) Deputy Chief Minister; Sandip Sanyal President & MD, Ford India Ltd,; Tom Chackalackal, VP, Vehicle operation, Ford; Michael Boneham, President & MD, Ford India Ltd; Raj Nair-VP, Operations-APAC, Ford Motor Company”

It was difficult to contain our joy at seeing years of hard work coming to fruition. “It’s exciting to see the first Figo coming to life,” Raj said. “We’re confident that the Figo will be extremely attractive to Indian buyers,” he added.

New Engine Plant

Our new engine plant, with a capacity of 250,000 engines a year, will lead the way in transforming Chennai into a major hub for diesel and petrol engine exports in the coming decade. The plant will quadruple production capacity of the engine manufacturing facility.

Explaining the story behind the plant, Michael stated, “This engine plant was created with a ‘best of the best’ approach. We benchmarked against other competitive facilities globally, as well as the current volume manufacturers in India for quality and production efficiency.”

Initially, the plant will focus on the assembly of both the common rail 1.4L diesel engine and the new 1.2L petrol engine—both to be fitted in the Figo. What’s more, the new line is completely flexible and will have the ability to handle both diesel and petrol engines simultaneously.

With this red-letter day behind us, we’re looking forward to the Figo launch! Stay tuned.

Sometime in the first quarter of 2010, a young man called Sandeep will walk into a Ford dealership with his parents and wife, and drive out in the Figo. Later that evening, he’ll text his buddy: “Hey Akash, I just bought the Figo! Coming for a drive?”

We’re not Nostradamus, but our marketing team’s little “prediction” might well turn out to be true. After all, the team has met not one, not two, but dozens of “Sandeeps” over the past few months. Our Sandeeps are in their mid-twenties, and are quintessential middle class youth. They are recently married and have earned a promotion and recognition at work. As the marketing guys put it, “Sandeep is Figo’s ideal target customer”.

Engaging these ideal customers was no mean task – the marketing team approached several Sandeeps to learn not only what they looked for in a car, but also what made them tick. They met their families, went shopping and even clubbing with them, and asked them a long list of questions. And their thorough work paid off – we now know their favourite movies (Sholay, DDLJ, Ghajini), gadgets (Apple iPod) and music (A.R. Rahman), what they do online (banking and Orkuting) and just about everything else in their lives (some want to buy a car, others a plasma TV).

What have we achieved from this exercise? For starters, we learned that the Figo’s customer, Sandeep is a complex person indeed: we figure that Sandeep is ambitious while being rooted to family values and traditions. Ford India brand manager Rahul Gautam says, “Sandeep wants to give attention to his family, spend time with his wife, and aspires to do well in his job. Interestingly, he has kept his bachelor mindset. So all this leads to some stress and tension because he feels pulled in different directions and is short of time.”

Rahul also explained the Sandeep-Figo connection to us recently. “Sandeep lives in a joint family with his parents. The Figo will be Sandeep’s exclusive space. He can use it for himself, on his way to work. He can take his wife out safely in the night, occasionally pick up relatives or friends from the airport, and take his family for weekend trips.”

Illustrating our commitment towards understanding the core customer, we invited some of the Sandeeps to New Delhi on September 23, where they met Ford Motor Company’s President and CEO Alan Mulally. Alan was quite excited to meet them just before Figo’s reveal to the world. “Thanks a lot for doing this,” he told the Sandeeps. “It’s such a big deal for Ford to compete in the centre of the Indian market and you helped.”

We just can’t wait for the Figo to hit the roads next year; nor can the Sandeeps!

Do you know a Sandeep or want to know more about him? Tell us what you think!

In a recent interview to NDTV Profit, Jim Farley, Group Vice President (Marketing and Communications) at the Ford Motor Company, spoke about the vibrancy of the Indian market, the differences between Indian and Chinese car buyers, and challenges of communicating the Ford’s brand promise in India.

About India, he said, “This is a very unique market, the customers are very demanding and they have a pride point in owning a vehicle that you don’t see anywhere else.” Watch the full interview here.