The manufacturer has announced that it will no longer invest in its gearbox production site in Gironde. For his part, Bruno Le Maire reacted, asking the manufacturer to ensure the sustainability of the plant. A thousand jobs are threatened.
Would Ford abandon Blanquefort? Given the release sent by the American brand, it takes the way. Indeed, Ford Europe has decided to no longer invest in its gearbox production site near Bordeaux. The manufacturer affirms its “commitment to seek a viable and sustainable solution to the maintenance of employment on the site”, including “the search for any potential buyer interested in the site”.
Ford Europe officials came this Tuesday to meet the elected officials of the EC to end the hopes of unions hoping to see Blanquefort the implementation of the project 8F-MID, for the manufacture of a new gearbox. But it was deemed “economically unsustainable in Bordeaux.”
So far, about a thousand jobs at the Ford Aquitaine Industries (FAI) site were protected by a five-year framework agreement between Ford and the authorities against the payment of state aid, but the deal ends at the end of May.
The Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, reacted immediately by a statement urging the American manufacturer to “ensure the sustainability of the plant and the long-term maintenance of employment” by working with unions, communities local and state. In response, Ford has said it wants to work “with the government (…) to look for new opportunities for the plant.”
The Minister of Economy recently met Ford President Ford, Steven Armstrong, “asking him to maintain a sufficient workload on the site until the end of 2019. This should allow research in good conditions new activities for this factory, within the Ford group or in connection with external partners, “said a statement from Bercy.