The launch of a new premium V8 diesel engine at our Dagenham Diesel Centre has further strengthened the site's role as the company's global center for diesel engineering and manufacturing.
A Powerful New V8
Our specialists at Dagenham Diesel Centre have exclusively engineered and produced a new state-of-the-art twin-turbo 3.6-litre V8 engine. The new V8 boasts a power output of over 270PS and develops up to 640Nm of torque. Dagenham Diesel Centre is prepared to produce up to 25,000 of the new diesel V8 units a year.
This new V8 engine underlines our commitment to engineering and manufacturing in the UK. It's a credit to Dagenham, where employees have embraced their role as diesel specialists—engineering and producing advanced quality engines.
Our Diesel Center of Excellence
The new V8 will be built on the same production line that has turned out 110,000 of Dagenham Diesel Centre's highly acclaimed 2.7-litre V6 engines. Both V6 and V8 engine blocks are loaded onto cradles prior to assembly, which enable operators and the line itself to switch between the different units seamlessly.
The cylinder heads for the V8 will be machined in Dagenham's adjacent original engine plant, where V6 machining already takes place. Both engines are made from lightweight compacted graphite iron, offering strength, durability and quietness.
More than £2.2 million (€17.5 million) has been invested in the development and manufacture of the V8, bringing the total spent at Dagenham to £644.2 million (€923 million) since it became Ford's diesel center of excellence.
Advanced Manufacturing
Dagenham Diesel Centre is one of the most advanced manufacturing sites in the UK. To ensure a clean production environment, required for the high-pressure common rail fuel and turbo charging systems featured on the latest advanced diesel engines, the Dagenham Centre features an ultra-modern assembly hall. In it, air is filtered to minimize dust particles that could interfere with the quality of the high-tech diesel engines.
History
Dagenham Diesel Centre opened in 2003 and a total of 2,350 engineers and production operators are employed at Dagenham. Dagenham will produce 700,000 engines this year. In early 2008, assembly of 1.4 and 1.6 diesel engines will take the site beyond a million units annual output.
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.
