Ford opens new Richmond HQ

The facades of the new headquarters, facing Victoria and Burnley streets, are now graced with Ford's iconic blue oval signs.

 

With the move to a premises closer to Melbourne's CBD - ahead of the closure of local manufacturing options next October - Ford also has established the Broadmeadows site (now dubbed the "engineering campus") as the 'Asia Pacific Product Development Centre'. This will be highlighted by the internal refurbishment of the former Head Office building on the site in 2016 to further serve the rebranded facility.

 

The updated office will accommodate the country's only automotive product development team capable of fully developing vehicles, which continues to work on high quality vehicle programs for Australia, Asia Pacific and the globe. Recent examples include the new Everest and Ranger.

 

Ford signed a long term lease with Melbourne-based Salta Properties for the new office space in Victoria Gardens (aka Richmond) where approximately 200 employees, contractors and other support staff have relocated to establish the new national sales company.

 

The new office, designed to help accelerate Ford's brand transformation, welcomed the first staffers in July. In addition to employee benefits, Ford says the new location also provides better access to more consumers and key business partners, including its advertising agency which is located in Richmond.

 

"By transforming our Head Office and Broadmeadows campus into the Asia-Pacific Product Development Centre, combined with ongoing facility upgrades at our Geelong-area testing facility, we are signaling Ford will be the only automotive company that can fully develop vehicles in Australia," said Graeme Whickman, President and CEO, Ford of Australia.

 

"The National Sales Company in Richmond will allow us to focus on delivering Australia's best automotive consumer experience leveraging our outstanding product line-up now and into the future."