Ford officially opens first Myanmar dealer

Located in Yangon, the facility with a 12-vehicle showroom and 12-vehicle servicing capacity officially establishes the presence of the Ford brand in the rapidly developing country. It opened last week.

The vehicles will be imported from Ford’s global production facilities, including North America, Europe and Thailand.

Ford believes its entry to Myanmar will help support the company’s overall growth strategy for Asean. 

Ford is experiencing its largest industrial expansion in more than 50 years and anticipates that 60-70 per cent of its global growth by 2020 will occur in the Asia-Pacific region. 

In April, Ford signed an agreement with RMA Group, an emerging-markets specialist with operations across Asia and Africa, and Capital Automotive Ltd, a subsidiary of leading Myanmar conglomerate Capital Diamond Star Group. The first line-up of products includes Ranger and F-Series pickups, Explorer and Everest sport-utility vehicles, and the Taurus sedan.

“Over the coming months, Myanmar customers will see a full showroom of global Ford cars, trucks and SUVs, representing all vehicle segments,” said David Westerman, regional manager of Ford’s Asia-Pacific emerging markets group. 

Ko Ko Gyi, owner and managing director of Capital Diamond Star Group, said: “We plan to expand with facilities in other markets across the country as business grows, with a goal of quickly establishing a nationwide footprint for sales, service and parts.” 

Since announcing entry of the Ford brand to Myanmar in April, the company has emphasised a commitment to investing in training resources and bringing in technical experts to provide skills training for employee technicians, sales and service people. 

To support this effort, RMA Group’s 25 years of automotive expertise is being leveraged by working with Ford to provide world-class training resources. This includes sending technician apprentices to a month-long immersion programme at RMA Academy’s facility in Laem Chabang, Chon Buri. 

Additionally, Ford recently flew in an experienced sales and management trainer from the United States to provide staff with training on the company’s global customer-service standards. 

“We plan to make ongoing investments that help support the country’s economic and social development, which includes professional skills training and career development for our employees,” said Kevin Whitcraft, chief executive of RMA Group. “As business grows, we expect demand for more qualified workers and technicians to increase, and more careers to be hatched. These types of contributions will help drive the tremendous potential in Myanmar.”