Automobile Factory in Jordan

A JD200 million Chinese auto factory planned to be set up in Jordan will create around 500 job opportunities for Jordanians and this figure is expected to reach 2,000 upon the completion of the plant’s four phases. Moreover, a new academy will be established to produce a skilled labour force in the fields of electronics and mechanics.



Mohammad Qalam, director general of Chery Jordan Company Ltd., told The Jordan Times on Monday that the construction of the factory will start early 2008 and production is expected to start by the end of the year.

Other stakeholders include Al Hokair Holding Company and the Dallah Al Baraka Group.

Qalam added that the company will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) under which the military will become a partner in the plant, to be implemented in four phases.

The agreement was signed in October on the sidelines of a visit to China by His Majesty King Abdullah.

“The first stage of the project will be manufacturing around 700 medium- and large-size commuters,” said Qalam, adding the second phase will extend the plant’s capacity to produce commercial vehicles such as pickup and dump trucks.

A new academy will be established within the project’s third phase aiming to produce a skilled labour force in the fields of electronics and mechanics.

“This academy will represent a nucleus to provide regional markets, especially Gulf countries, with skilled Jordanian workforce in the fields of manufacturing and maintaining vehicles,” Qalam said.

The top executive pointed out that the last phase of the project will target the manufacture of fancy cars which will be marketed in local and regional markets.

“Our initial target is to hit the 1,000 mark during the first two years of production as we expect a continuous increase in demand for our product,” he added.

“Our product will effectively compete with other types in terms of price and quality. Besides, the product will focus on lowering fuel consumption through introducing an advanced technique of fuel combustion called Compressed Natural Gas,” he said.

According to Qalam, the plant will create around 500 job opportunities for Jordanians who will constitute 95 per cent of the plant’s manpower, adding that this figure is expected to reach 2,000 upon the completion of the plant’s four phases.

Chery Jordan Company Ltd. was established in 2004, in partnership with the Chinese SAIC Chery Automobile Company, as the exclusive supplier of automobile parts and their accessories for Chery vehicles.