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After Ford stopped manufacturing cars in India in September of 2021, there have been widespread concerns about unavailability of services and spare parts of Ford vehicles in Nepal. During his visit to Nepal, Dhananjay Kumar, divisional operational manager (North India and Nepal) at Ford India, held a frank conversation with The Himalayan Times and attempted to debunk various rumours circulating in the market related to Ford vehicles, among other issues.
Excerpts:
Does the manufacturing halt in India affect Ford's services or operations in Nepal?
As Ford ceased its manufacturing process in India, there's been a lot of rumours and false news that new car buyers won't get service, parts and warranty on Ford automobiles.
Moreover, existing customers who own Ford vehicles have heard that they won't get the services and resale value will go down. However, if Ford was not serious about serving the market in the region, it would not have retained the service station in India, not to mention opened a new service station. Ford has supplied India manufactured cars globally, even to the United States. So, we want to clarify that the business restructuring in India won't affect its services or operations, including in Nepal. There is accessibility of services and spare parts, and extended warranty and quality of service. Hence, I'm here in Nepal to assist the GO Automobiles Pvt Ltd, the authorised importer and distributor of Ford vehicles in Nepal, to examine the services, discuss ways to increase profitability, and identify possible gaps and room for improvement in customer care.
Is there any price variation in parts and spares while importing Ford vehicles from the third country? There's been no change in parts and spares while importing Ford vehicles from the third countries. We already have enough stock of parts and spares and received commitment from our suppliers regarding timely delivery. Moreover, we've localised components in parts.
Tata Motors recently bought Ford India's manufacturing plant. How will Ford India run its operation and services in Nepal with the ongoing business restructuring in India?
First of all, Tata Motors' acquisition of Ford India's manufacturing plant is the part of restructuring business and has nothing to do with the current business that Tata has. Following the acquisition, our own service team worked separately throughout India and Nepal to serve the customers. Nepal is an important market for Ford. The reason I say this is because Ford India is the only manufacturer that calls Ford customers in Nepal from India for service follow up, and to get direct feedback.
Every month my team comes here to gauge whether the team here requires any additional training and review the services being provided to ensure that they meet our parameters.
How did COVID affect your business?
Initially, COVID affected our business by disrupting the supply chain.Moreover, we were working remotely for almost two years. That was a different learning and scenario. But one thing I like to tell you: Ford India was the first company to give special operating procedures to every dealership during the COVID pandemic.
Later other manufacturers copied it and put it on the process. It proved that Ford India is always ahead in terms of providing services. Initially there was panic among the dealers, sales team and also customers. However, we were able to placate them by demonstrating there was no change in our quality of services.
Do you wish to give any special message to customers of Ford vehicles in Nepal?
I want to tell our customers in Nepal that we are here and ask them to rest assured that we won't let you down or leave you despite the restructuring of the business of Ford India. You will not have to compromise on the quality or the level of service you were receiving from Ford.
We're committed to providing continuous assistance for service, parts, and warranty on Ford vehicles.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 27, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
