Ford Europe announces losses and the closure of two plants in Great Britain

With the crisis, things are getting complicated for most vehicle manufacturers on the European continent; what some lose, others gain, as demonstrated by the announcement that production at the Belgian Genk plant will be moved to Spanish territory, to Almussafes. But in addition, Ford will report significant losses this year and the closure of two more plants in the United Kingdom.

The Transit van assembly plant in Southampton, Great Britain, and the closure of the components and stamping line plant in Dagenham will be the next moves by Ford in Europe, with the consolation in British territory of engine manufacturing and development at Dagenham.

It may seem like nothing, but it is a lot, since these closures mean leaving 13% of Ford’s European workforce out on the street. In fact, the American brand expects to reduce annual vehicle production by 335,000 units. For now, the losses it has projected are over 1,500 million dollars this year, with a similar amount for 2013.

As for production in Spanish territory, there will be moves that do not seem to harm Amussafes; the Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy will be received in 2014, together with the Kuga and the Transit Connect. On the other hand, the manufacturing of the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX would be lost, and they will be awarded to the German plant in Saarlouis.

Source | Expansión