Ford Business Solutions (FBS) in Chennai is considered the backbone of key design and development functions for several globally successful models of US automaker Ford Motor Company as its global capability centre (GCC). As part of its long-term strategic vision, the company on Wednesday opened a new office in Coimbatore, its third location in India.
A senior company executive told Business Standard that almost 50 per cent of its future growth in India would be in technology, data science and data analytics.
The new office in Coimbatore is aimed at strengthening the resilience of Ford’s global operations. Located at SVB Tech Park, it will serve as a dedicated business continuity hub, housing teams supporting Ford’s accounting, credit, treasury and business operations worldwide. The facility has a capacity of around 800 employees, with more than 600 to be based in Coimbatore initially.
The Global Technology and Business Center in Chennai has played a key role in the design and development of specific components for Ford Motor’s top-selling global models, including the F-Series, Explorer, Transit and Ranger. The company also has a Technology Incubation Centre in Bengaluru. FBS employs more than 12,000 people in India, even though Ford Motor Company exited vehicle manufacturing in the country after winding up its plants in August 2022.
“The center will primarily house members of teams serving Accounting, Ford Credit and Business Operations. These teams serve Ford’s global markets, and the Coimbatore location is central to FBS India’s business continuity strategy, ensuring critical functions operate without interruption,” said Gangapriya Chakraverti, India Site Head and Managing Director, Ford Business Solutions.
The new centre is primarily intended as a backup facility to ensure uninterrupted services if operations at the Chennai centre are affected by adverse weather or other disruptions. The Coimbatore facility occupies three floors of SVB Tech Park and spans more than 82,000 square feet, with seating capacity for approximately 800 employees.
The workspace has been designed to support collaborative and hybrid working, with more than 230 workstations on each floor, meeting rooms and boardrooms for collaboration, focus rooms for uninterrupted work, booth seating for informal discussions, and pantries.
“FBS India has spent 25 years building the kind of depth and capability that lets us take end-to-end ownership of Ford’s select global processes,” said Chakraverti. “We’ve had team members from this city working for us for some time now, and seen firsthand the strength of the talent pool here.
“Coimbatore has also grown into a vibrant, thriving business hub, and we wanted to build a presence in a city that has so much to offer,” she added, noting that one of the city’s biggest advantages is its readily available talent pool.
“Ford Business Solutions’ decision to open this center in Coimbatore is a strong endorsement of Tamil Nadu’s standing as a destination for global capability and knowledge-based industries. Our government is committed to building an environment where global companies can invest and expand with confidence and find the skilled, work-ready talent they need to serve their worldwide operations,” said Keerthana Sampath, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu.
“Ford Business Solutions has been a committed partner to Tamil Nadu for over 25 years, and this expansion to Coimbatore is a further mark of that enduring trust. We welcome this expansion and the opportunities it creates for the people of Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu,” she added.
The opening of the Coimbatore centre comes as India’s GCC ecosystem continues to evolve from a delivery base into a source of strategic ownership for global enterprises. FBS India’s teams are leading Ford’s technology and business transformation from India, providing technology-driven solutions and services that support every division of Ford Motor Company. The Coimbatore centre adds another dimension to that contribution by ensuring Ford’s global business operations remain resilient and dependable.
The FBS team supports Ford’s global operations in computer-aided design, computer-aided engineering and software development.
