Ford: Why we're closing Southampton - the official statement

Ford: Why we're closing Southampton - the official statement Ford: Why we're closing Southampton - the official statement

In just a short statement of 122 words Ford bosses sounded the death knell for the for the Southampton Transit factory.

In a statement released this afternoon they confirmed proposals to shut down the Swaythling site and as well as part of its massive Dagenham plant.

It also said all job losses would be voluntary redundancies with staff offered redeployment to another site.

The full Ford statement:

“Ford will continue to develop its UK operations as a centre of excellence for powertrain development and production. A new, next-generation, low-CO2 2.0-litre diesel engine is to be built in Dagenham that will power future Ford vehicles from 2016. The new engine will be designed and engineered at the Dunton technical Centre in Essex. As part of the restructuring of its European operations, Ford plans to close two facilities in the UK in mid-2013 – its vehicle assembly plant in Southampton, which builds the current Transit, and its stamping and tooling operations in Dagenham, which supplies the Southampton assembly plant and other plants. All UK separations are to be voluntary: affected employees in Southampton and Dagenham will be redeployed or offered separation terms”.

Comments(15)

Stillness says...
2:27pm Thu 25 Oct 12

I'll blame Thatcher. Before southy does.

lordflood says...
3:55pm Thu 25 Oct 12

No the reason you are closing this plant,is the government in Turkey own the factory. Fords only pay for the van when it comes off the end of the line.Because of this there are a lot more employees to build the van. Southampton have always built the better van. So Fords wins hands down. We were informed of this years ago.But nothing was ever done about it.

Stillness says...
4:38pm Thu 25 Oct 12

lordflood wrote:
No the reason you are closing this plant,is the government in Turkey own the factory. Fords only pay for the van when it comes off the end of the line.Because of this there are a lot more employees to build the van. Southampton have always built the better van. So Fords wins hands down. We were informed of this years ago.But nothing was ever done about it.
Can I point out that it's not me closing it despite lordfloods post? Thank you.

chipsceola says...
4:47pm Thu 25 Oct 12

It's game set and match for Ford, what's important now is what happens to this very large and strategically placed site.

What ever the future use it has scope to employ many, many more than the current 500 workers.

Let's now hear from Hants., Eastleigh and Southampton Councils about their plands and timescales for the redevelopment. It's not like it's unexpected, the propspect of closure has existed for several years.

Chipsceola.

lordflood says...
7:19pm Thu 25 Oct 12

(Stillness) Didn't know i was blaming you for the closure. NO THANK YOU!!!

lordflood says...
7:19pm Thu 25 Oct 12

(Stillness) Didn't know i was blaming you for the closure. NO THANK YOU!!!

westendsaint says...
7:40pm Thu 25 Oct 12

chipsceola wrote:
It's game set and match for Ford, what's important now is what happens to this very large and strategically placed site.

What ever the future use it has scope to employ many, many more than the current 500 workers.

Let's now hear from Hants., Eastleigh and Southampton Councils about their plands and timescales for the redevelopment. It's not like it's unexpected, the propspect of closure has existed for several years.

Chipsceola.
Houses, houses,

& even more,

HOUSES

dave_gravey says...
7:44pm Thu 25 Oct 12

There is way more than 500 people employed at and in support of the factory in the Southampton area, only 500 work for Ford at stage.
Lots of jobs and operations were 'outsourced' to reduce costs in order to continue to compete with the cheap imports initially from Belgium but more recently from Turkey, an uphill battle and a struggle that can now be seen was impossible win.

dave_gravey says...
7:45pm Thu 25 Oct 12

There is way more than 500 people employed at and in support of the factory in the Southampton area, only 500 work for Ford at this stage.
Lots of jobs and operations were 'outsourced' to reduce costs in order to continue to compete with the cheap imports initially from Belgium but more recently from Turkey, an uphill battle and a struggle that can now be seen was impossible win.

arthur dalyrimple says...
8:18pm Thu 25 Oct 12

perfect site for a las vegas type mega casino and large convention centre for rock bands etc,maybe a ice rink,sno dome.

Pettle says...
8:21pm Thu 25 Oct 12

Centre of excellence, means people with degrees, and using British brains to build in other countries. Not good. The site needs to be retained for manufacturing, and in this vehicle sector. The Government has a policy for building on brown field, and all manufacturing sites are probably seen as future brown field sites, which is a very pre 2007 type of thinking, and it's wrong.

Pettle says...
6:18am Fri 26 Oct 12

1 manufacturing job supports 4 other jobs.

Mr Price says...
9:26am Fri 26 Oct 12

Very Sad day for all the employee's and I do feel for them..Southamapton over the last decade has lost so much in the manufacturing industry..STC, BAT, AC DELCO, BACARDI MARTINI, VOSPERS, FORDS .......Sorry to say its sign of the times GREED.

Pettle says...
5:25pm Sat 3 Nov 12

The European Investment Bank has granted an £80 million loan to Ford, to enable them to develop Transit production in Turkey. This is why the Southampton factory is to close!! we've funded this closure. I hope we can **** in hell!

Pettle says...
5:28pm Sat 3 Nov 12

I actually corrected the 'w' to a 'W', for we've. What is going on!?

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