Following weak demand, Ford plans to dismiss around 20% of the workforce or about 680 employees at its Romanian unit in 2015, Reuters reported.
The company will first offer voluntary retirement to employees at both its engine production unit and car division. The offer will expire on 18 December.
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Ford said, “To help better secure the competitiveness of the Craiova facility, and to control operational costs, it is necessary to take further measures to adjust production volumes to the current market demand. This also requires a reduction in the workforce.”
“These actions are intended to best utilise the remaining workforce at Craiova and to meet current and expected future production requirements as Ford continues to seek opportunities to source a second vehicle in Craiova.”
Ford took over struggling local carmaker Automobile Craiova in 2008 and started producing the B-Max model there four years later. The company made over 68,000 cars and 250,000 engines in Romania last year.
