Ford will reorganise its product development in Europe to help cut costs, but no jobs will be shed as a result, according to a Reuters report.
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A spokesman told the news agency the move has been months in the making and was unrelated to Ford’s announcement on Tuesday that it was “evaluating options for reducing personnel-related costs outside of North America” to complement domestic savings.
Reuters said Ford of Europe has already chopped jobs and production capacity so that it now operates at full capacity, but the spokesman reportedly said it was reviewing its staffing levels again.
“Evaluations are in progress, including Ford of Europe’s own evaluation of salary-related costs, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time,” he told the news agency.
Streamlining product development in Europe means Ford will focus on vehicles in the German city of Cologne and on motors in Dunton, south-east England, the company told Reuters, confirming a report in German business magazine Capital.
Ford management and the works council reportedly were negotiating details on how to handle staff affected by the move.
Reuters noted that, until now, engineers in Cologne had developed both cars and motors for such vehicles as the Ford Focus, Mondeo and Galaxy and the Volvo S40. Dunton staff worked on diesel motors, the Ford Ka and Fiesta models and commercial vehicles.
