Plaid AM welcomes Ford’s £70m investment in Bridgend
28 Hydref 2008
Plaid Assembly Member, Bethan Jenkins has today (28.10.08) welcomed Ford’s new £70 million investment for the Ford engine plant in Bridgend.
Plaid AM Ms Jenkins said:
“This is a great success for the Ford plant in Bridgend. For the company to invest £70 million in the company’s Welsh plant at a time of relative economic uncertainty is a clear acknowledgement of the expertise and skills of those who work at Bridgend Ford.’
Ms Jenkins continued:
“This will raise the spirits of those involved in the motor industry in Wales, and doubly so as the new engines to be developed at the plant are more environmentally friendly. It is also good news for the local economy in Bridgend, and for those who work at Ford in Bridgend.
I welcome the work that Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones AM has done in supporting Ford with backing from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Single Investment Fund. This is a clear sign of Plaid delivering in government’.
ENDS
Contact Steffan Lewis on 029 20 898 713 / 07961 732405 for more information.
Notes to the editor
This morning, Ford announced a new investment programme at its high-tech Bridgend engine plant in Wales to produce next generation low CO2 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engines.
This latest investment totals £70 million for the plant, where this year employment rose to over 2,000 for the first time in its 28-year history, and includes Welsh Assembly Government support of £13.4 million through its new Single Investment Fund.
Total Ford investment in the Bridgend plant has amounted to £315 million in the last five years alone. Today’s additional investment increases the plant’s production capability to almost 1,000,000 units per annum.
The announcement by Ford that the Welsh plant has won the contract to manufacture the Ford’s new “green” low-carbon GTDI engine co-incided with the UK’s first national conference on low carbon vehicles.
The Assembly Government’s International Business Wales arm is one of the sponsors of the event – which will position Wales as a leading centre for the development of alternative fuel technologies.
