Ford’s global management has announced that the Almussafes (Valencia) factory will be assigned to produce a new passenger vehicle in order to maintain sufficient workload while decisions about the future of electrification are being made, as stated by the majority union at the plant, UGT. This decision was conveyed by Ford’s global president, Jim Farley, during a meeting with the workers’ representatives and the European Works Council in Dunton (United Kingdom), which was described as positive and constructive.
The Almussafes factory has been under a temporary employment regulation (ERTE) since April 17 after ceasing production of the Transit van, and currently employs close to 4,800 people. The assignment of a new model ensures the immediate future of the factory, which has seen a significant decrease in production over the past six years. In 2018, the plant produced almost 370,000 cars of five different models, while last year it produced just under 212,000 cars – a drop of 42%. The loss of production of the Mondeo, S-Max, and Galaxy models exacerbated this decline. Despite being chosen in 2022 to produce a new electric vehicle platform starting in 2025, uncertainty regarding investments for electric vehicles has plagued the factory.
The global management’s commitment to Almussafes comes at a time when the factory is operating under an extended temporary employment regulation file (ERTE) due to production challenges with the Kuga model. The decision to assign a new vehicle model to the factory guarantees its viability for the coming years, providing relief for both
