Ford’s management continues to pluck the daisy to decide the future of the Valencia factory. While the moment of the transcendental decision approaches, this week the project of the battery plant that Volkswagen and Seat in Valencia is officially presented, an investment that plays in favor of the Ford plant, according to Jesús Alonso, president of Ford Spain.

At the moment, Ford is evaluating its production capacities in Europe and the investments needed to manufacture battery electric vehicles and connected services.

Its goal is to transform industrial operations to become Europe’s leading manufacturer of such vehicles.

Presentation of the battery plant

Ford’s production plant in Spain, in Almussafes (Valencia), is awaiting a decision from Detroit on the award of two electric vehicles, for which it is bidding together with the German plant in Saarlouis.

The continuity of the Valencian factory depends on these vehicles, which will reduce the number of combustion models currently in production.

In this sense, Alonso commented that the Volkswagen and Seat battery plant project in Sagunto, which will be presented on May 5th, «is good for the country and, since it is in Valencia, it could be a future opportunity for Almussafes, but we do not know yet».

In any case, he added that «whatever progress in electrification is very important for the sector».

Ford’s president in the Spanish market denounced Spain’s delay in the process of electrification of mobility.

«We are still in the first steps, while in other countries it is a little more advanced. Here the manufacturers, the administrations and the other agents that are necessary to electrify the country still have to continue advancing and taking steps».

Competitiveness agreement

Ford’s top management plans to announce in June to which plant it will assign the production of future electric models in Europe.

The Almussafes factory competes with the Saarlouis plant with a competitiveness agreement reached by the UGT union, the majority in the committee, and the company, which provides for the containment of labor costs and an increase in working hours and internal flexibility.

The executive made these statements at the presentation of a new online career simulator for people with disabilities.

It is part of Ford Spain’s initiative to launch more than 20 years ago at its Almussafes plant a program to provide work for family members of employees with some kind of disability and at that time the company contacted Once for the process of facilitating the form of work.

More than 1,000 people with some type of disability are currently employed at the factory and are involved in all areas.

«You realize that, with minimal adaptation, when needed people adapt to any job,» explained Alonso who added that all of them «are very involved,» as reported by Coche Global.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)