Ford Otosan and Mars Logistics are taking an important step towards sustainable and ecological transport. A new intermodal transport route has been launched to improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of logistics operations between the Ford Otosan factory in Craiova and Turkey. Under this new system, components will be transported from Turkey to Romania, and vehicles manufactured in Romania will arrive in Turkey, both by rail. This transition aims to reduce emissions by 63% compared to road transport, making logistics operations more efficient and economical.
The objective is to facilitate the transport of vehicles produced at the factory in Craiova to Turkey. As part of this initiative, an intermodal rail line was established, which runs four weekly runs between the Craiova plant, Ford Otosan’s first investment in Europe, and Istanbul Halkalı.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with Mars Logistics and one of the most important rail transport companies in Turkey. The new intermodal rail line will run four weekly runs to Istanbul Halkalı, allowing the transport of approximately 12,000 vehicles per year to Turkey. At the same time, this environmentally friendly logistics solution will ensure the efficient delivery of production components from Turkey to the factory in Craiova. Thanks to this new route, emissions are expected to be down by 63% by the end of the year compared to road transport.
Since taking over the factory in Craiova in 2022, Ford Otosan has strengthened its European production network, while also contributing to the strengthening of commercial relations between Turkey and Romania. With the expansion of model production at the factory in Craiova, exports of components from Turkey to Romania have increased significantly, bringing benefits to both Ford Otosan and its suppliers.
The plant in Craiova operates in three shifts both in the vehicle production area and in the engine production area and currently has over 6,600 employees.
Ford Otosan Romania produces the versions with combustion engines of the Ford Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier and Puma models, alongside the world-renowned 1.0 EcoBoost engine. Also, at the end of 2024, Ford Otosan Craiova also started production for the electric versions E-Transit Courier, E-Tourneo Courier and Puma Gen-E, with deliveries to customers beginning at the beginning of this year.
“We are proud to put into practice the projects for which we conducted feasibility studies for a long time. Through the intermodal rail route that we implemented between Romania and Turkey, we collect components from Ford Otosan suppliers in Turkey for the vehicles produced at the factory in Craiova, Ford Otosan’s first European investment. These components are then transported by our wagons to the Mars Halkalı Railway Terminal operated by our company. From there, deliveries reach the terminal at the Ford Otosan Craiova plant, which is also managed by us,” also said Garip Sahillioğlu, board member responsible for road and rail transport at Mars Logistics.
“With the new logistics model that we have established between Romania and Turkey, we transport the necessary components for the production activity of our factory in Craiova, which currently builds the Ford Puma, Ford Tourneo Courier and Ford Transit Courier models. By capitalizing on the cost advantages of rail transport compared to road and sea transport, we improve our competitiveness while providing a significant contribution to our sustainability goals,” emphasized Güven Özyurt, General Manager of Ford Otosan.
Source: business-review.eu