JLR implicated in Ford plant closure plans with 1,700 jobs threatened

JLR opened a new engine plant in china in 2017 but since then sales in the country have slumped

Ford has blamed the ending of a contract with Jaguar Land Rover and a fall in sales of petrol engines as the reasons behind plans to close its engine plant in Bridgend next year.

The car giant said it would close the 40-year-old plant in South Wales in September 2020, with the potential loss of 1,700 jobs in companies supplying goods and services to the plant.

Last month DHL confirmed it was to cut 159 jobs that it has at Jaguar Land Rover sites in the West Midlands and Merseyside.

Its been a difficult year for JLR, which has been beset by problems including Brexit, plummeting sales in China, the shift away from diesel and the disruption and uncertainty caused by electric vehicles.

The Ford announcement also represents a notable downturn in the automotive industry in gerneral following the news in April that Honda was to shut its factory in Swindon and is a real concern for the UK economy.

“Creating a strong and sustainable Ford business in Europe requires us to make some difficult decisions, including the need to scale our global engine manufacturing footprint to best serve our future vehicle portfolio,” said Ford’s European president Stuart Rowley.

“We are committed to the UK, however, changing customer demand and cost disadvantages, plus an absence of additional engine models for Bridgend going forward make the plant economically unsustainable in the years ahead.”

He added that the workers would be offered enhanced redundancies as well as help with finding other jobs.

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