Ford announces Dagenham factory as a building site for new Transit engines

 Ford announces Dagenham factory as a building site for new Transit engines

Ford recently announced that its diesel engines for a new era of its Transit Custom can be built at its Dagenham factory. The Transit Custom is a medium-sized edition of the popular workhorse and plans are being set in motion to launch it in 2023.  The company states that this shift will secure the jobs of the 1,9 00 people the site currently has employed. All engines will be taken to Turkey for assembling by Ford's local joint venture company, Ford Otosan. Ford Otosan will also be building a similar size van for Volkswagen Golf and is expected to be responsible for 60% of Dagenham's diesel engine production by 2025. 

Ford Otosan is a partnership between the Ford company and the Turkish company Koç Holding with a plant in Kocaeli, in Northwestern Turkey. Dagenham will build diesel engines for the new model which will also be available as an electric van, with the inclusion of other hybrid forms. In 2020, a major engine plant at Bridgend in Wales was shut down. Opened in 1977, the factory was unable to acquire sufficient recent work after two major engine programs completed in 2019. Five other factories and some 10,000 workers have also been laid off in Europe. 

The transit vans were usually constructed at a plant close to Southampton but were moved to Turkey because of lower construction costs in 2013. Ford says that it expects diesel to continue to play an important role in commercial vehicles for several years even though steps are being taken to produce electrified passenger cars. The trade agreements between Turkey and the UK in the later part of 2020 are considered "extremely significant" for its business by Ford. 

The company pointed out that their collaboration with Ford Otosan accounts for more than 10% of the trade volume between both countries. Ranil Jayawardena, the International Trade Minister has described the announcement as "great news for Ford and its 7,500 workers across the United Kingdom."