Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Ford to close Bridgend factory, according to reports

http://bit.ly/2S3wiNO

Hugo Griffiths 2019-06-05 19:12

Ford employs 1,700 people at Bridgend engine plant in South Wales. Meeting with unions said to be set for Thursday

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Ford is to close it's Bridgend engine-building facility in South Wales, according to reports, putting in jeopardy the jobs of the plant's 1,700 staff.

The American car giant said it would "not comment on speculation", but trade-union leaders are said to have been called to an emergency meeting about the factory on Thursday.

The news follows stories last month that 400 jobs were to go at Bridgend, with Ford as a whole cutting 10 per cent of its global workforce by the end of this summer as it seeks to make savings worth £470 million.

A statement from the company at the time said "The goal is to significantly decrease structural costs, reduce bureaucracy, empower leaders and managers, and eliminate less value-added work".

In October last year, Ford temporarily closed the Bridgend production line responsible for building Jaguar's AJ-V8 engine, as demand for the powerplant slowed. As well as building the Jaguar engine, Bridgend builds Ford's 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.

The Unite union previously urged Ford to convert Bridgend into an EV battery and motor production facility. The site opened in 1980 and covers an area of 60 acres.

 



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