Ford reduces Bridgend investment by nearly half

Ford has nearly halved its investment in its Wales-based engine plant in Bridgend.

The amount Ford will invest in the plant has been reduced from £181 million to £100m, according to a report from the BBC.

A Ford spokesman said none of the jobs held at Bridgend are at risk but they cannot be guaranteed due to the fluctuating nature of the car industry.

The cut in investment is not only due to “falling predicted global demand for low-CO2 downsized petrol engines”, according to the Ford spokesman, but also partly down to a sharp rise in demand for 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines and the overlap between these and the other small petrol engines on offer.

It was also said that the reduction in investment was not related to Brexit, that the fluctuation in demand was detected before Brexit and that the investment amount was likely to change if such a fluctuation would have decreased the merit of the investment.

The plant currently produces the 1.25, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.6-litre Ecoboost four-cylinder petrol engines that are found across the Ford model range. Diesel units are produced at Ford's Dagenham plant.

As it stands, the Ford spokesman added, production remains stable, so Bridgend will continue to employ its workforce with no planned job losses. Capacity can be increased quickly if required, too.

Employees and unions have been notified of the change in investment. Ford also invested £190m - including £8.9m from the government - in its Dagenham plant in 2014.