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53 AutoData | May 2018 control and belt immersed in oil. It earned A rating, the best possible, in Inmetro’s energy efficiency analysis. The new gearbox, which is also ma- nufactured in France and India, has “less complex design and more complex ma- nufacturing process”, according to the ma- nufacturer. It weighs 8 pounds less than the IB5. Rogelio Golfarb believes that nowTau- baté stands on the same quality level with similar mills in Germany, China and the United States: “We have upgraded 100% of the plant with automation of the machi- ning and assembly lines and improvement of the flow of materials, fully integrated with the concept of lean manufacturing. This provides process efficiency and high productivity”. MILLIONS AND MILLIONS Throughout its 50 years Ford unit of Taubaté, always dedicated to the manu- facture of engines and gearboxes, reached 8 million and 7 million units produced, ac- cording to the calculations of the company. The interesting thing about the story is that Ford never thought about building this Taubaté unit: the company received the almost ready plant fromWillys, which it acquired here in Brazil one year before the inauguration, 1968. In the content of the package were the Taboão factories in São Bernardo do Campo, SP, and Jaboatão dos Guararapes, PE. At that time the unit of Vale do Paraíba was only casting used engines in the Jeep, Rural, AeroWillys and Jeep pick-up. At the time, Ford already had its own foundry, in the distant Osasco, SP, inau- gurated on November 21, 1958. As Tauba- té was more modern, it won the internal competition. The most important step for the plant came on July 2, 1974, when it was inaugura- tedwhat was called an industrial complex: Taubaté began to work with blocks and assemble complete engines, initially only for exportation - there were some units of the Ford Pinto for validation. The OHCs 2.3 four-cylinderwent to Ger- many, Argentina and Canada. In 1975 they were in the national Maverick, same year that the list of the countries that received the motors made there gained England and reached the representative mark of 200 thousand manufactured motors. On July 31, 1980, a large party was set up to celebrate the 1000th OHC produced. Another singular celebration happened there in 1987, when the Thunderbird Coupê was elected Car of the Year in the United States. The reason: there was the engine OHC 2.3 liters added with turbocharger under its hood, also mounted in Taubaté. 1996was another important milestone, with the unit revitalized to receive produc- tion of the engine and transmission of the first national Fiesta. The exporting vocation of Taubaté ne- ver stopped existing: its Sigma engines and the IB5 transmissions go to Pacheco, Ar- gentina, where they equip Focus. They also go to Mexico for the NewFiesta, exported from there to various markets, including the United States. There are also shipments to Venezuela and South Africa. THERE IS HISTORY HERE Born as Willys casting, Taubaté started to machine and assemble engines for exportation in 1974. And only six years later it would reach the milestone of the first million.