Ford halves investment plans in Welsh factory

US car manufacturer Ford halved its planned investment for its engine plant in Bridgend, Wales. Ford planned to invest GBP 181m into a new generation of petrol engines that was set to roll of the factory’s assembly line in 2018 but now says it plans to only invest GBP 100m. The company said that the decision was made due to a shift in demand within Europe and had “nothing to do with Brexit.” Ford had previously indicated that it might close its UK operations if the country voted to leave the EU, fearing a GBP 747m business loss. A company spokesman said the GBP 100m investment shows a “substantial commitment” to the country. Ford had has 1,850 workers at its Bridgend plant. The company also operates another plant in Bagenham, Essex. The plants produce a total of 1.6 million engines per year.