Ford Focus on new jobs for local staff

Karen Hart
FORD will make 300 new jobs in Melbourne available to Geelong employees set to lose their jobs in 2010.
The company announced this week it would start assembling its European designed Focus in Melbourne from 2011, creating the new positions at its Campbellfield assembly plant.
Ford revealed the Focus project less than a week after announcing it would shed 600 jobs after closing its Geelong engine plant in 2010.
A Ford spokesperson said the company hoped some of the Geelong workers would move to Campbellfield, in Melbourne’s north.
“We’ll be responsible for stamping significant panels for the vehicle here, so that will drive additional utilisation of our stamping plant in Geelong,” the spokesperson said.
“Our intention is to make as many of the 300 new positions as possible available to our Geelong employees if they choose to do so.”
Ford was yet to decide whether it will offer relocation incentives to the Geelong workers.
Ford expected to build 40,000 Focuses in the first year of production.
Federal and state governments will give $20 million each to support the Focus project.
Federal Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane called the Focus announcement a “major coup for Australia”.
When production starts it will be the first locallymade small vehicle in more than a decade,” he said.
State Industry Minister Theo Theophanous expected the Focus to create 1000 new jobs across Victoria’s manufacturing sector on top of the 300 jobs at Campbellfield.
“Local sourcing of parts and components will be significantly higher for the Focus than is currently the case for the I6 engine.
“This means more new jobs will be created in the automotive sector with the production of the Focus than are lost with the closure of Ford’s engine plant,” Mr Theophanous said.
“Ford’s stamping plant in Geelong will produce a significant number of panels for the new vehicle and Australian testing will take place at the company’s Lara proving ground.”
Ford Australia president Tom Gorman visited Geelong last week to tell the 600 engine plant workers that the company’s quest for “global economies of scale” meant they would lose their jobs.
Production of the inline sixcylinder engine for Falcon and Territory models would cease, making way for imported V6 engines from America.
Employees expressed shock and anger at the job cuts.