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Ford boycotted over closure plans? (From Daily Echo)
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Fears drivers will switch to British-made vans over plans to close Southampton's Transit plant
8:34am Monday 5th November 2012 in News
By Patrick Knox, Senior Reporter
A Ford Transit van
Ford could face a white van man backlash when it switches Transit production to Turkey.
Tradesmen, politicians and union leaders say the US giant could see thousands of drivers boycotting what has long been billed as the “backbone of Britain”.
Between 2009 and 2011 sales of the best selling Transit in the UK increased by 34 per cent – despite these years being the worst trading conditions for tradesmen since the 1930s Great Depression.
But a growing row over Ford dumping Britain without warning for Turkey has sparked calls for drivers to shun the imported vans in favour of other vehicles such as the British made Vauxhall Vivaro.
Romsey and Southampton North MP Caroline Nokes said: “I would not be remotely surprised if white van man supports other British manufacturers like Vauxhall who manufacture in the UK.”
This comes as the Daily Echo reveals how the multinational kept Government ministers in the dark about its long term plans for Southampton while taking millions of pounds of public money.
Heavyweight business secretary Vince Cable has now promised a probe into whether Ford bosses lulled ministers into a false sense of security when they signed off subsidies and finance deals.
Unions have also spoken of the sense of betrayal among the 500 strong workforce who were repeatedly reassured that their livelihoods were safe.
Unite regional officer Fred Hanna said: “People are going to be angry when it closes and if they boycott Transits and other Fords that’s the consequence the company will have to pay.”
Transit enthusiast Peter Lee, who founded the 1,000- strong Transit Van Club, said the sense of betrayal among Ford staff – and the wider public was bound to leave a “bitter taste” among van drivers.
He said: “I think it will definitely affect people’s attitudes towards the Transit and I don’t think it will sell in Southampton ever again.”
Mr Lee said the plucky image the US car giant lovingly fostered over decades was one reason why the vehicle was worshipped as “a working class hero” up and down the land.
But he said another reason was because it was made in Hampshire.
“The Southampton plant is as iconic as the van. I think Ford have shot themselves in the foot,” he said.
Read more on the fall-out from Ford's devastating plans to close the Swaythling plant in our in-depth archive.
Comments(37)
Linesman
says...
9:25am Mon 5 Nov 12
The Wickham Man wrote:I guess that she is pretty certain that the EU cheque made out to Ford has already been cashed, and is going to work in Turkey, which is a non-EU country.
Caroline Noakes is not doing any checking or homework before speaking. White Van men will go for the best deal available as they have done historically- they don't have the spare money to make political purchases, whether it is VW, Renault, Vauxhall, or whoever. Do we see many LDV vans around compared to VW? Does Caroline Noakes herself drive a car built in Britain? Does she even know where it was built?
If she wants to do something useful she should check whether the grant money has actually been paid over to Ford yet and put pressure on the Government to stop the cheque.
I would hope that, as it is non-EU, there is no preferential treatment for Ford transits when they are exported from Turkey. There are a number of similar vehicles made in the EU.
Frank28
says...
9:57am Mon 5 Nov 12
arthur dalyrimple
says...
10:10am Mon 5 Nov 12
ohec
says...
10:17am Mon 5 Nov 12
__KTF__
says...
10:40am Mon 5 Nov 12
Frank28 wrote:Why, they are still being produced, just not in the UK.
People will stop buying the Transit over concerns of the future availability of spare parts.
Going back to the original article, Vauxhall is part of GM so not exactly British and the Vivaro is a re-badged Renault Traffic.
The more people that buy the 'best' product rather than base their decision on where its made (which is meaningless these days) the better the products will get overall.
Ford took their eye off the ball with the Transit so VW and Mercedes moved in and took sales as a result as they had the better product.
southy
says...
10:50am Mon 5 Nov 12
ohec wrote:That depends where in the country you are the LDV sales better in wales and the north west, there worse sales are here in the south and south east
All people have to do is open their eyes to see that the new King of the road for light commercials is Mercedes and any talk of boycotting Ford is just pathetic as for supporting Vauxhall the vans they assemble are a mix of Nissan / Renault / Vauxhall just badged accordingly and i believe that agreement is coming to an end. Cars and light vans are so multi national nowadays you don't know where they come from so how do you boycott them a Transit might be assembled in Turkey but the parts could come from a host of countries. Its time people just accepted that Ford will be gone and concentrated on the future.
Linesman
says...
10:55am Mon 5 Nov 12
ohec wrote:I am no Sherlock Holmes, but when the Swaythling plant closes, and new transit vans are still being sold, I would have a very strong suspicion that they were not manufactured in either the UK or the EU.
All people have to do is open their eyes to see that the new King of the road for light commercials is Mercedes and any talk of boycotting Ford is just pathetic as for supporting Vauxhall the vans they assemble are a mix of Nissan / Renault / Vauxhall just badged accordingly and i believe that agreement is coming to an end. Cars and light vans are so multi national nowadays you don't know where they come from so how do you boycott them a Transit might be assembled in Turkey but the parts could come from a host of countries. Its time people just accepted that Ford will be gone and concentrated on the future.
I think that people have accepted that Ford are leaving, and by way of concentrating on the future, they think that they can face that future without a Ford Transit.
Danae
says...
11:09am Mon 5 Nov 12
Ford Turkey Connect
Ford Custom Turkey
and Ford ...
Two Tonne Turkey!
Probably appropriate with the emerging quality concerns!
footballcrazy
says...
11:11am Mon 5 Nov 12
footballcrazy
says...
11:15am Mon 5 Nov 12
footballcrazy
says...
11:15am Mon 5 Nov 12
soton1980
says...
11:24am Mon 5 Nov 12
footballcrazy wrote:I think that Ford's reputation in the UK will certainly be damaged by this.
not just vans with the 500 workersand contracters whom have been stabbed in back talk of avoiding buying ford cars and dont forget family and friends close to them feel the same way and will try and buy made in this country or others just to avoid ford
sotonwinch09
says...
11:38am Mon 5 Nov 12
bazzeroz
says...
11:45am Mon 5 Nov 12
skeptik
says...
12:50pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Cyber__Fug
says...
12:54pm Mon 5 Nov 12
footballcrazy wrote:Then surely there would have been product recalls ?
the problem with the turkish made vans is that the seam welding finish is not as secure as the swaythling built van. hence bt insisted on their order being from swaythling. my husband now retire did the ultrasonic testing at swaythling and worked there for 34 years.
sarfhamton
says...
2:43pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Niel
says...
3:20pm Mon 5 Nov 12
I well remember those early Merc Ambulance's, dangerously unreliable, more than a few patients lives were almost lost when either the engine went bang or the gearbox failed, even after a 10,000 mile running in period on slow 'day case transport', unlike the Tranny, straight into front line service, thrashed from day one.
It's not just down to purchase cost, it's down to who felt 'obligated' having had the freebies!
Dresnez
says...
3:38pm Mon 5 Nov 12
German chancellor Angela Merkel has long rejected Turkey's accession bid, and has proposed a "privileged partnership" instead;
France, where some are anxious at the prospect of a new wave of Muslim immigrants, given the country's already large, and poorly integrated, Muslim community.
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Accession_o
f_Turkey_to_the_Euro
pean_Union
Simple the UK slaps a huge tax on the vans made in Turkey that go on sale here to make them very uncompetitive.
Sick of these global corps wanting to benefit from our markets but don't want to pay the wages or the Corporation Taxes.
I am sure it won't happen though, this Tory Government prefers to pick on pensioners and ignore any difficult jobs in the 'in tray' like tackling tax avoidance and closing tax loopholes for global corporations.
In fact Cameron wants to reduce corporation tax.
We can see how Ford, Starbucks, Apple and Vodofone etc have treated us. They base here, HQ elsewhere for tax purposes, Jobs in call centres in India and often pay minimum wages if they can get away with it. They are happy to take the grants though.
You really cannot buy friends.
geoff51
says...
5:11pm Mon 5 Nov 12
The Turkish people are not living in tents keeping Camels, they are perfectly capable of building a Transit van.
The Workforce and Unions have screwed the Swaythling factory over the years and if its cheaper to build Transits in Turkey then they only have themselves to blame.
To be perfectly honest Fords range of vans and cars are poor compared with the opposition and even the fleet buyers are avoiding them, the Ka is the most ugly vehicle on our roads compared with the Corsa, Micra,Swift,and many others.
rs16ipete
says...
6:48pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Milly in Bassett
says...
6:54pm Mon 5 Nov 12
1clubonsouthcoastsfc
says...
6:58pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Milly in Bassett
says...
7:22pm Mon 5 Nov 12
skeptik wrote:How about ASDA etc avoiding tax in the UK by sending huge sums to USA?
We will boycott - heard that many times Cadbury, HP sauce and now Transits - the cost and suitability will trump any feelings of loyalty - always does.
Balir and Brown set up the commitment to the EU thats stripping money that should be invested in UK. Cameron must give more serious thought to withdrawing from the EU. I struggle to see any benefit to us.
georgetheseventh
says...
7:33pm Mon 5 Nov 12
middlestream
says...
7:49pm Mon 5 Nov 12
temp007
says...
8:43pm Mon 5 Nov 12
footballcrazy wrote:well said footballcrazy,that is correct regarding the bt order,SOUTHAMPTON BUILT TRANSIT ONLY, NO TURKISH BUILT
the problem with the turkish made vans is that the seam welding finish is not as secure as the swaythling built van. hence bt insisted on their order being from swaythling. my husband now retire did the ultrasonic testing at swaythling and worked there for 34 years.
****
rs16ipete
says...
9:03pm Mon 5 Nov 12
temp007 wrote:come on! do you really belive that just because a van is turkish built then the welds are different or a different standard?? really people, think. the van ether coming from the uk or turkey will have to conform to a standard, otherwise there would be type approval issues and issues around safety. do you not think the reason for bt not wanting a turkish built one is because they want to show there support for the uk van industry ? as papers do the daily echo is twisting the story there way to sell papers, my question to them is why dont they use transits?? why do they use the vauxhall movano which is a frence built rebadged renault! mmm doubt they will answer this one!!
footballcrazy wrote:well said footballcrazy,that is correct regarding the bt order,SOUTHAMPTON BUILT TRANSIT ONLY, NO TURKISH BUILT
the problem with the turkish made vans is that the seam welding finish is not as secure as the swaythling built van. hence bt insisted on their order being from swaythling. my husband now retire did the ultrasonic testing at swaythling and worked there for 34 years.
****
loosehead
says...
9:10pm Mon 5 Nov 12
But if I could I would buy a Nissan electric or isn't that built here?
When I was in the TA we had an LVD which I've drove & since then I've driven a transit van.
If LVD do a Transit style van & a normal van & is built here why not boycott Fords & buy LVD?
Doe's it hurt to buy British built vehicles?
Nissan in Sunderland has the best reputation of any car manufacturing plant,
Toyota & Honda plus BMW's mini plant are all producing high quality cars so why buy Fords?
Milly in Bassett
says...
9:20pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Enough, Cameron you need to do more.
__KTF__
says...
9:23pm Mon 5 Nov 12
loosehead wrote:Assuming you mean LDV, then it might be hard to buy a new one given that they went into administration at the end of 2009.
I couldn't afford to buy a new van/car now.
But if I could I would buy a Nissan electric or isn't that built here?
When I was in the TA we had an LVD which I've drove & since then I've driven a transit van.
If LVD do a Transit style van & a normal van & is built here why not boycott Fords & buy LVD?
Doe's it hurt to buy British built vehicles?
Nissan in Sunderland has the best reputation of any car manufacturing plant,
Toyota & Honda plus BMW's mini plant are all producing high quality cars so why buy Fords?
Nothing wrong with buying British if the product is worth buying. If people are not buying Transits then Ford arent going to keep churning them out and have then sitting about in airfields.
Also, why do the majority of people say 'Fords'? Its Ford.
loosehead
says...
9:44pm Mon 5 Nov 12
__KTF__ wrote:I apologise I typed it wrong & after Southy's post I guessed LDV was still being produced.
loosehead wrote:Assuming you mean LDV, then it might be hard to buy a new one given that they went into administration at the end of 2009.
I couldn't afford to buy a new van/car now.
But if I could I would buy a Nissan electric or isn't that built here?
When I was in the TA we had an LVD which I've drove & since then I've driven a transit van.
If LVD do a Transit style van & a normal van & is built here why not boycott Fords & buy LVD?
Doe's it hurt to buy British built vehicles?
Nissan in Sunderland has the best reputation of any car manufacturing plant,
Toyota & Honda plus BMW's mini plant are all producing high quality cars so why buy Fords?
Nothing wrong with buying British if the product is worth buying. If people are not buying Transits then Ford arent going to keep churning them out and have then sitting about in airfields.
Also, why do the majority of people say 'Fords'? Its Ford.
Yes your right it is the FORD motor company but many people call them Fords?
I was trying to say if there is another manufacturer in the UK who produces vans then don't buy a transit van ( Ford).
with the other high quality car manufacturers why but a Ford?
andysaints007
says...
12:10am Tue 6 Nov 12
Danae wrote:Well the quality can't be any worse than it is already!
As completely new models are being introduced now across all three Transit-labelled ranges people may already be rebadging the new products in their own minds as:
Ford Turkey Connect
Ford Custom Turkey
and Ford ...
Two Tonne Turkey!
Probably appropriate with the emerging quality concerns!
andysaints007
says...
12:11am Tue 6 Nov 12
footballcrazy wrote:TW&T
the problem with the turkish made vans is that the seam welding finish is not as secure as the swaythling built van. hence bt insisted on their order being from swaythling. my husband now retire did the ultrasonic testing at swaythling and worked there for 34 years.
andysaints007
says...
12:15am Tue 6 Nov 12
georgetheseventh wrote:Why would they be d*ckhead?
I doubt it..the vans will be HALF the price they are now.
loosehead
says...
7:17am Tue 6 Nov 12
andysaints007 wrote:No he got it wrong he meant to say "the vans will cost half the price to produce than they are now"
georgetheseventh wrote:Why would they be d*ckhead?
I doubt it..the vans will be HALF the price they are now.
Ford are going to Turkey to increase their profits
The Wickham Man says...
8:59am Mon 5 Nov 12
If she wants to do something useful she should check whether the grant money has actually been paid over to Ford yet and put pressure on the Government to stop the cheque.