A new state-of-the-art twin-turbo 3.6-litre V8 engine is now being produced at Ford’s Dagenham Diesel Centre, further strengthening the site’s status as global centre for diesel engineering and manufacturing.
More than £12.2 million has been invested in the development and manufacture of the new V8, bringing the total spent at Dagenham to £644.2 million since it became Ford’s centre of excellence for diesel. It was opened by the Prime Minister in 2003 and a total of 2,350 engineers and production operators will make up to 700,000 engines this year. From next year, Dagenham will also assemble 1.4 and 1.6 diesel engines, taking the site’s production beyond a million units a year.
The new V8 engine has been exclusively engineered and produced by Dagenham’s specialist engineers.They are gearing up to production volumes of up to 25,000 V8 units a year.
The cylinder heads for the V8 will be machined in Dagenham’s adjacent original engine plant, where V6 machining already takes place.
Dagenham is the source for half of Ford Motor Company’s diesel engine requirements globally. Around one in four engines in Ford Motor Company vehicles worldwide were built in Britain – assembled either at Dagenham or Bridgend engine plant, in Wales.
Phil Lake, Ford’s chief diesel engineer, said, ‘This new V8 engine underlines Ford Motor Company’s commitment to engineering and manufacturing in the UK. It is a credit to Dagenham where employees have embraced their role as diesel specialists – engineering and producing advanced quality engines.’
