Ford has approved an investment of £181 million at its Bridgend Engine Plant to produce a family of all-new, technologically-advanced, fuel-efficient petrol engines.
The investment includes Welsh Government support of £14.67 million, with production planned to start in late 2018 and a leading authority on the industry says it is likely to lead to still more investment in future.
The Ford announcement was welcomed by Welsh Economy Minister Edwina Hart who said, “Ford is a Welsh Anchor Company and the Bridgend Engine Plant plays a key role in the economy of South Wales.
“In a climate of stiff global competitiveness, we have been actively seeking to win a share of this investment for Wales and so we are delighted with today’s announcement.
“Ford’s decision to manufacture its new innovative engine here in Wales is a tribute to the reputation of the local management team and the quality and loyalty of the Welsh workforce and will safeguard more than 750 skilled Welsh jobs for many years.”
Teams from the Ford Dunton Technical Centre in Essex, as well as Ford’s Technical Centre in Merkenich Germany, and the Ford Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, have worked together on the design and development of the all-new engine family.
Earlier this year, Ford built its 5 millionth vehicle worldwide equipped with a fuel-efficient EcoBoost petrol engine, and in Europe more than one-in-four of all Ford vehicles sold are fitted with an EcoBoost engine.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine – winner of the International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented three years in succession – is the most popular EcoBoost version in Europe, with one-in-five vehicles sold in the region being equipped with the engine.
The Bridgend Engine Plant has benefitted from a total £1.8 billion investment since it opened in 1980. It builds six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines for customers and, together with Ford four-cylinder engines, total production is currently 3,400 engines a day, or one every 24 seconds off the busiest line.
Bridgend’s success has been encouraged through a partnership with the Welsh Government who have committed to maximising the potential of Ford’s own investment. The Welsh Government supports the plant with an annual grant for training of £50,000.
Ford Bridgend total production now exceeds 19 million engines and its products power the Ford Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Mondeo models.
It opened in May 1980, currently employs 1,860 and last year made 701,392 four, six and eight cylinder engines, including units for Jaguar Land Rover.
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Welsh Automotiove Forum chairman Prof Garel Rhys said the new investment was excellent news and might ensure future products would come to Wales as well.
“This is very reassuring because it does ensure the future of the plant and while it is not going to be the volume of previous engines it does mean Bridgend still pushes itself to the forefront of any Ford decision for engine making and shows it’s an efficient plant.”
He added, “It means any future projects can still come to Bridgend as well as future demands for this particular engine family and it remains efficient and key for potential global production.”