Ford Motor Co. will cut 2,500 jobs at three US plants as it expands a massive restructuring plan, the automaker said Monday.
Many of the positions could be eliminated through company-wide buyouts offered earlier this year, but workers who do not accept the early retirement packages will be laid off, a spokeswoman told AFP.
Ford has eliminated more than 40,000 jobs since 2006 in the face of a steady loss of market share and staggering losses. In January, it offered buyouts to 12,000 workers.
“We remain focused on our plan to return the North American automotive business to profitability,” Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas said in a statement.
“These actions are necessary as we align our capacity and product mix to meet real customer demand.”
The Michigan-based automaker's losses in 2007 amounted to 2.7 billion dollars, following a record loss of 12.6 billion in 2006.
Monday's announcement will affect workers at plants in Chicago, Cleveland, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky where production will be reduced to one shift.
Ford will also delay the restart of production at an engine plant in Cleveland until the fourth quarter of this year instead of in the spring.
The change to a single shift will not affect total production, Ford said.
“The buyouts and capacity actions are designed to ensure that our manufacturing facilities are operating in the most efficient way,” said Joe Hinrichs, group vice president of global manufacturing.
