Ford and MS-RT, the Ford Pro commercial vehicles conversion partner and design-led automotive engineering company that creates specialised Ford vehicles that stand out on the road, today announced that MS-RT is to establish a new £4 million vehicle conversion facility at Ford Dagenham.     

Ford and MS-RT already enjoy a close collaborative relationship, and with this new investment it provides the opportunity for MS-RT to expand its business while enabling easier access to Ford technical expertise in Dagenham and at the close-by Ford Britain Dunton Campus, the Ford Commercial Vehicles business group’s home in Europe. The collaboration will accelerate the development of current and future MS-RT vehicles for discerning customers both in the UK and international markets.

The new facility is intended to provide work for more than 50 new employees when it comes online in 2022, rising to over 120 new jobs when fully operational, helping in the regeneration of one of the UK’s most deprived areas, and is needed due to increasing customer demand for the company’s vehicle conversions. MS-RT confirmed that its existing facility in Pontypool, South Wales will continue to operate with no loss of jobs.   

“This latest Ford and MS-RT cooperation supports Ford’s vision of expanding business opportunities at Ford Dagenham in addition to continuing to produce advanced technology diesel engines, and builds on our plan to grow our market presence through strategic relationships with key vehicle converters,” said Paul Baynes, manager, Marketing and Sales – Ford Pro Vehicle Solutions, Ford of Europe.

‘We are delighted to be building on our partnership with Ford by opening a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Ford Dagenham,” said Edward Davies, MS-RT’s founder and director. “The new site will drive innovation, expand our manufacturing capability, and further strengthen our collaboration with Ford.”

MS-RT creates distinctive models based on Ford’s leading commercial vehicle nameplates and has been a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) since 2020, meeting Ford’s rigorous standards in manufacturing and quality control and offering full warranty support. MS-RT products are also now available through Ford’s One Stop Shop scheme, where converted vehicles are included on Ford product price lists and can be purchased by customers directly from Ford dealerships.

MS-RT vehicles are inspired by 40 years of motor racing experience on and off the track with its partner, M-Sport. In addition to the UK, MS-RT products – which today include the Ford Transit Connect MS-RT; the Ford Transit Custom MS-RT; and the Ford Ranger MS-RT – are now available from Ford Transit Centres in Belgium, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Romania, with other markets to follow.

The new MS-RT facility will be located in an existing building at Ford Dagenham used last year to build much-needed medical ventilators for the National Health Service as part of Ford involvement in the Ventilator Challenge UK.