Thousands of jobs at Ford were lost as automakers’ engineers switched to electricity

Carmaker Ford plans to cut 1,300 jobs in the UK as it plans to switch production from petrol and diesel engines to electric vehicles.

The cuts will affect one in five of the UK’s 6,500 workers and will be linked to broader plans to cut some 3,800 jobs in factories across Europe.

The bulk of the UK job loss will be in the company’s technical center at Dunton in Essex, which has about 3,400 employees. The Smart Technology Innovation Center in Stratford, East London, will also close, affecting 200 employees.

John Baron MP, Basildon and Billericay, whose constituencies work in Dunton, expressed “disappointment” at the news. “While I understand Ford wants to achieve these cuts through voluntary segregation programs, I know this will be a worrying time for my constituents at the Danton facility.”

The company insisted that its main plants at Halewood in Merseyside, Dagenham in Essex, Southampton in Hampshire and Daventry in Northamptonshire were unaffected by the turmoil.

The company aims to have an electric vehicle fleet in Europe by 2035 and has already announced plans to end production of popular gasoline-powered models such as the Fiesta and Focus. It has already ceased production of its popular Mondeo fleet.

Most of the job cuts will occur at Ford’s German factories in Cologne and Aachen, where 2,300 jobs will be cut, Ford said. Ford currently employs 34,000 people across Europe.

Martin Sander, general manager of Ford Europe, said: “These are difficult decisions and should not be taken lightly. We are aware of the uncertainty this creates for our team and I assure you that we will offer you our full support in the coming months.

“We will work together with our social partners to build a successful future for our company in Europe together.

Experts say the latest job cuts probably won’t be the last. The company has already announced layoffs at factories in the US, Canada and India and has publicly said it needs 40% fewer workers to make electric vehicles.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that more than 22,000 jobs in the UK auto industry are at risk as automakers move from making engines and traditional car parts to batteries and other components for electric vehicles.

Ford’s cuts come as the company is investing $50bn (£41bn) to develop a smaller range of new electric vehicles. Ford says it will spend £380m to convert its Halewood, Merseyside transmission plant into an electric motor plant. It also announced plans to rebuild its plant in Cologne to begin producing electric vehicles later this year using electric vehicle technology from rival Volkswagen.

The European automotive market is highly competitive, Ford said, with more competitors entering the market for electric vehicles. The company has designed its new generation of electric vehicles as simpler, less complex vehicles, and it needs to free up staff to invest the savings in overhauling its vehicle lineup and factories.

Mr. Sander said: “We are completely reinventing the Ford brand in Europe – uncompromisingly American, superior design and connected services that will distinguish Ford and delight our customers in Europe. We are ready to compete and win in Europe,” he added.

Ford announced last year that it would end vehicle production at its plant in Saarlouis, Germany, by 2025, which employs more than 4,500 people. The company said it was in talks to sell the facility. Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has reportedly expressed interest in buying it.

Ford also announced that it will build a $3.5 billion battery manufacturing plant in Michigan, allowing it to take advantage of additional U.S. government tax credits for electric vehicles. Ford said the plant will produce batteries using technology from China’s CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, which also supplies batteries to Tesla.