“Pivotal Time”: SA Woman Angela Weathers Appointed Ford Silverton Plant Manager After 30-Year Career

• Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa appointed Angela Weathers as plant manager at its Silverton manufacturing plant in Pretoria
• Weathers joins from a senior quality leadership role at Ford in the United States, where she also led the company's ventilator production during Covid-19
• Her appointment comes as Ford prepares to expand its manufacturing presence in South Africa at its award-winning Ranger facility

Angela Weathers has been appointed plant manager at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa's Silverton manufacturing plant in Pretoria. The appointment, effective August 2026, was announced by Ford's manufacturing division and marks a significant moment for one of the country's most prominent automotive facilities.

According to Creamer Media's Engineering News, Weathers steps into the role after serving as quality operating systems manufacturing director at Ford's operations in the United States. She brings more than 30 years of experience within Ford's global manufacturing organisation, having held senior roles across engineering, quality, operations and plant management.

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One of the standout chapters of her career came during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she led Ford's ventilator production programme, a critical initiative that saw the automotive giant pivot its manufacturing capabilities to support public health efforts.

A defining moment for Silverton

Ford described Weathers' arrival as coming at a pivotal time for the Silverton plant. The facility recently received Ford's Global VO Plant Quality Excellence Award, recognising it as the highest-performing Ranger manufacturing site in Ford's worldwide production network. Silverton produces the Ford Ranger for the local South African market as well as more than 100 export destinations globally.

Manufacturing operations VP Ockert Berry, to whom Weathers will report, expressed confidence in her appointment.

"She joins the team at Silverton at an exciting time. Our team has established the plant as one of Ford's leading manufacturing operations for quality globally, As we enter our second century in South Africa, her experience will help us continue raising this benchmark for quality, innovation and operational excellence even further."

Weathers succeeds Suresh Babu, who has returned to India to take up the position of plant manager at Ford's Chennai powertrain operations.

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Ford indicated that Weathers' appointment is tied to broader ambitions to elevate its manufacturing footprint in South Africa amid shifting global competitive pressures, though the company has not yet detailed what those plans will involve.

Read the full Creamer Media story here.

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Source: Briefly News