Ford invests £24m in UK 23 | 04 | 2013
FORD IS TO INVEST £24 million in its Bridgend engine assembly plant, and the carmaker confirmed half of the money will come from Welsh Government funds.
The new investment will ensure the plant has the capability to build Ford's new 1.5-litre Ecoboost engine: the Bridgend facility already builds the 1.6 Ecoboost.
Ford's EcoBoost technology delivers the power of a larger engine with smaller unit fuel consumption, partly through the inclusion of turbocharging.
The latest announcement forms part of Ford's plan for a global investment of £1.5 billion, announced in 2010, into the research, development and manufacture of low-CO2 technology for vehicles over a five-year period.
The plant in Wales already produces 2668 four-cylinder engines daily, with exports to Spain, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Belgium and the USA.
This delivers an annual export value of £1.5bn when combined with other Ford UK operations.
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Employment at Bridgend will rise to 2300 this year, the most in its 33-year history.
“The Welsh Government has worked closely with Ford to secure this investment and is delighted to confirm a support package of £12 million towards this exciting programme," Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Edwina Hart, said.
"This will help safeguard and create high quality production and engineering jobs in Wales."
The news, which equates to a £5200 subsidy per employee at the plant, was also welcomed by Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain managing director, Mark Ovenden.
"The Welsh Government has greatly assisted in maximising the full potential of Ford’s own investment in Bridgend and we are pleased to meet with the Welsh First Minister and the Minister for Economy to recognise this successful partnership, Ovenden said."
Production for the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine is scheduled to start next year. It will then ramp up over the following two years to ensure that Bridgend output is maintained at optimum capacity during this period.
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Jim McGill