Craiova-based (southern Romania) Ford car plant is temporally halting production of B-Max cars, as of Friday, because of a falling demand on the European market. Approximately 2,500 employees of the plant are currently found in a short time working situation, following the halt of production.
The production will be suspended over September 20-October 4, following in the meantime the employees to be paid 80 percent of their standard wage, as dictated by the collective labour agreement.
Late in August the Ford representatives made an announcement that the production will be stopped temporally as a reaction to the precarious situation on the European market.
Ford Romania begin production at the plant in Craiova in 2012, when it launched the B-Max model, being the first model produced at the plant and the first 5-star EuroNCAP Romanian car. Also in 2012, Ford Romania began to produce in Craiova the 1.0 liter three-cylinder turbo gasoline direct fuel injection EcoBoost engine, which won the title of the International Engine of the year 2012. In 2013, Ford launched the production in Craiova of the second 1.5-liter Ecoboost engine (on gasoline), in the case of which it also began the serial production.
Almost two months ago, Ford announced that it wanted to put an end to the period of losses in Europe and specified it had no intention to reduce again its production capacities in the region, since the market already looked like it was beginning to stabilize. AGERPRES
