Supply Woes Delayed Ford Truck Launch in Thailand

Ford Motor Co. says lingering supplier problems from heavy flooding last autumn in Thailand postponed by several months the production start of its next-generation Ranger compact pickup truck there.

The company had planned to begin building the revamped truck last autumn at its joint venture with Mazda Motor Corp. in Rayong, Thailand.

Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford's Asia-Pacific unit, tells reporters that the company's Thai supplier network remains "fragile and overwhelmed." On any given day, "somebody is just a little bit short" of parts, he notes.

Hinrichs says the Rayong truck plant is still not operating at full production and the new Ranger has not yet debuted in all the Asian markets where it will be sold. He blames lost Ranger output for much of the company's $95 million first-quarter operating loss in the Asia-Pacific region, where it earned $33 million profit a year earlier.

Hinrichs says supply chain problems are his biggest worry as the company opens seven new plants and introduces 15 models in Asia over the next three years. Two of those facilities have already opened, including a new factory in Thailand last week.