Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa’s manufacturing division has announced the appointment of Angela Weathers as plant manager at its Silverton manufacturing plant, in Pretoria, effective this month.

Weathers joins South Africa from her role as quality operating systems manufacturing director at Ford Motor Company in the US.

She will report to current Ford South Africa (SA) manufacturing operations VP Ockert Berry.

Weathers brings more than three decades of manufacturing leadership experience with Ford, having held senior positions in engineering, quality, operations and plant management.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, she also led Ford’s ventilator production programme.

The US manufacturer says Weathers takes up her new position “at a defining moment for Silverton vehicle operations”, with Ford preparing to elevate its manufacturing presence in South Africa “in the wake of significant global competitive shifts”.

Ford does not, however, elaborate on what this elevation will entail.

The Silverton plant was recently recognised with Ford’s Global VO Plant Quality Excellence Award, acknowledging it as the highest-performing Ranger manufacturing facility in Ford’s global production network.

Silverton produces the Ford Ranger for customers in South Africa and more than 100 export markets worldwide.

“Angela has built an exceptional career across Ford’s global manufacturing organisation, combining operational excellence with deep expertise in quality, advanced manufacturing technologies and people leadership,” says Berry.

“She joins the team at Silverton at an exciting time. Our team has established the plant as one of Ford’s leading manufacturing operations for quality globally.

“As we enter our second century in South Africa, her experience will help us continue raising this benchmark for quality, innovation and operational excellence even further.

“I am confident she will build on the outstanding foundation that has been created here already, while helping shape the next chapter of our manufacturing journey.”

Weathers succeeds Suresh Babu, who has returned to India to become plant manager at Ford’s Chennai powertrain operations.