What is Ford’s presence in the UK?

Ford has just announced a series of wide-sweeping measures that will see around 1,300 jobs in the UK axed as part of a broader restructuring that’ll see the firm adjust its focus to electric vehicle production.

A number of sites in the UK are set to be affected, but where does Ford have locations and what do they produce? We’re taking a look here.

Dagenham

Ford’s Dagenham site is steeped in history, having produced its first vehicle – the AA truck – back in October 1931. In 70 years of production, close to 11 million cars, trucks and tractors were created at the Dagenham site before it switched to engine creation. It has now produced close to 50 million engines to date and has created diesel powertrains for many of Ford’s cars and vans.

Today, the Dagenham site produces diesel engines for the latest Transit Custom range. The facility is also responsible for transport logistics for Ford components and vehicles across the UK. Ford has stated that the Dagenham site won’t be affected by the recent job cuts.

Daventry

Daventry is home to the Henry Ford Academy. It’s where Ford provides technician and apprentice training. It centres around both car and van education, delivering it with cutting-edge equipment as well as Ford vehicles and diagnostic equipment.

Ford has stated that operations at Daventry will be unaffected by the changes.

Dunton

Dunton is set to bear the brunt of the job cuts, with Ford stating that the bulk of 1,300 cuts will be made at the company’s technical centre. The Essex facility provides research and development facilities and is also home to Ford’s global commercial vehicle Centre of Excellence which helps businesses ‘accelerate productivity and sustainability’ with electric vehicles supported by Ford’s own software.

The Dunton site is also home to Ford of Britain’s marketing, sales and service departments.

Halewood

Ford’s site in Halewood, Merseyside, is a hub for the firm’s transmission production. It currently creates gearboxes for petrol and diesel models, but was recently selected for a nine-figure investment programme as it looks to turn it into an electric vehicle component hub.

By 2026, Ford bosses hope that Halewood will be providing power units to around 70 per cent of the 600,000 EVs that it hopes to sell in Europe. The investment announcement also safeguarded 500 jobs, while Halewood has been left out of Ford’s recent sweep of cuts.

Stratford, East London

Ford has also stated that its site in Stratford, East London, will be affected by the cuts. Opened in 2017, it’s a small dedicated Smart Mobility Innovation office that looks to improve ‘future mobility solutions’ for Europe.

Located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the ‘Here East’ innovation hub is said to currently have around 200 staff.