FORD MOTOR Corporation’s RoCam engine, which is made in Port Elizabeth, is proving to be a winner in both developing and more mature markets, says Ford South Africa's director of engine and component manufacturing, Charlie Shearer. RoCam engines made in the company's South African engine plant are bound for vehicles in markets as diverse as India, Russia, China, South Africa and Europe, he says. Production is planned to reach 240 000 units a year in 2003. Speaking at the Autocluster Africa 2001 conference at The Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth, Shearer said the RoCam engine had initially been developed for emerging markets. "Ford recognised that there are unique challenges in emerging markets, not the least of which is the quality of the fuel. Motorists in emerging markets happily put a mix of petrol, paraffin and even diesel into their tanks in an effort to save costs. High-octane fuels are also not available in many countries. This means that modern multi-valve engines are not suitable for most emerging markets. In response to this challenge, Ford of Germany set about developing an eight-valve engine that would run almost regardless of the fuel types and octane ratings. The result is the RoCam, which we know from experience in the field and through thorough testing, is very tolerant of almost any kind of combustible liquid," says Shearer. The engine incorporates several advanced product and manufacturing technologies - including plastic intake manifolds, a fabricated camshaft and modern weight-reduction techniques. The engine has electronically-controlled fuel injection and ignition which adjust automatically to cater for variances in fuel quality. These high-tech solutions have opened the way for new markets for the RoCam. The Port Elizabeth engine plant has been designated the sole supplier of a 1,3-litre RoCam engine to Ford plants around the world, and deliveries of the motor for use in Ford's new European "B" car start in January 2002. South Africa, which is the sole supplier of the engine to markets outside of Brazil, has played a role in the development of the RoCam engine, which is a high-tech solution to low-tech challenges. Much of the initial testing of the engine was carried out at the University of Stellenbosch, which is now helping to develop the engine for markets in industrialised countries. A grant from Ford helped the Stellenbosch centre for automotive engineering become commercially viable, says Shearer. There is even more potential in the engine, believes Shearer. The emerging market is also being catered for in the continuing development of the engine, he says. "In the RoCam we have all the ingredients for a world engine - durability, low cost of operation, sophisticated engine management systems and flexibility. It is setting the benchmark for this type of application, and many will be surprised at the range of vehicles it will power over the next decade," he says.