Ford’s India operations have evolved significantly from a small finance-focused centre into a major global capability hub spanning technology, engineering, AI and business functions. Gangapriya Chakraverti, India Site Head and Managing Director, Ford Business Solutions, has closely witnessed this transformation since joining the centre as Head of HR in 2012.
“In the initial days, we were relatively small in comparison. Much of what we were doing was commercial, which is accounting and finance. Then we were doing some IT and some old CAD (computer-aided design) work,” Chakraverti said.
A major shift came in 2014, when around 1,200 employees in India were already handling work beyond the domestic market. Ford moved teams closer to its global organisation, adding purchasing, materials planning, logistics and Asia-Pacific service and sales functions. This evolution eventually led to the transition from Ford Business Services to Ford Business Solutions.
“For us, it majorly marked how we were changing from what we were doing in the past, which was serving somebody, to providing solutions,” she said.
Today, Ford Business Solutions has more than 12,000 employees supporting global operations across software engineering, analytics, data science, AI/ML, product engineering, finance, logistics and supply chain.
Its Enterprise Technology unit covers data and analytics, digital and e-commerce, platform engineering, industrial systems, Ford Pro technology, integrated services and cybersecurity. The centre also develops connected-vehicle software and digital twin technologies.
Ford Credit is another major area, with India teams supporting a multi-year digital and core systems transformation using digital, platform engineering and AI/ML capabilities.
AI becomes a key growth engine
Ford has developed its internal large language model, Mach1ML, to provide employees with a controlled environment for generative AI use. AI is being applied to performance management, coding, testing and presentations.
The company has also created an AI Advancement Center offering training from prompt-writing to advanced AI engineering. AI is helping automate tasks, including CAD work, while employees are being moved to higher-value and more complex roles.
Hiring beyond automotive talent
Ford is increasingly hiring talent from outside the automotive sector to bring fresh approaches to supply chain, e-commerce, digital platforms and customer experience.
“I would have gone to another automobile company and taken somebody in for a supply chain position. But now, we don’t need to go to a supply chain automobile company. I can go to a computer manufacturer. I can go to a Flipkart,” Chakraverti said.
The company is seeking professionals who combine functional expertise with technology skills, although such profiles remain difficult to find.
Ford plans to hire more than 500 professionals by 2027. “We need that fresh take on how things are done,” Chakraverti said.
(Sources: ET)
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