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Ford plans to shut down its Bridgend engine plant with the loss of 1,500 jobs, the latest shock to the British auto industry.
The US automaker is to announce Thursday that it will close the Welsh site as part of a global cost-cutting program, according to people close to the decision.
This is the latest blow to the British auto industry, following Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant and the fall in investment in that sector.
Work on the site has declined and Ford has slashed the planned investment in the facilities three years ago.
The plant produces gasoline engines for Ford's European production sites, as well as larger engines for Jaguar Land Rover under a contract signed during the sale of high-end brands by Ford in 2008.
Two years ago, JLR had announced that it would resume work internally on its engine production site in Wolverhampton from next year, a decision that was depriving Bridgend 's site of "failure. a significant part of his work.
Ford also warned of the potential consequences of Brexit on its business, which is based on a continuous stream of components and complete engines between the UK and continental Europe.
Ford declined to comment. The announcement of the closure was reported for the first time by ITV News.
The shutdown is the latest bad news in the auto industry, including the closing of the Swindon Honda plant and Nissan's decision to extract several models from its Sunderland plant.
Investments in the sector have fallen more than 80% in three years, according to figures provided by the SMMT trade body.
Ford said this year it would cut "thousands" of jobs across Europe as it sought to restructure its operations in the deficit region. The company aims to save $ 11 billion globally by reorganizing its operations in Europe, China and Latin America, as well as by reorganizing its North American operations.
Last month, Jim Hackett, General Manager, announced that the company would lose about 7,000 people, or about 10 percent of its payroll, as part of the restructuring.
The future of Ford's two British engine plants – in Bridgend and Dagenham – has been uncertain for several years, especially since both depended in part on the outsourcing of JLR.
The US manufacturer closed its last British vehicle plant in 2013 after it stopped producing vans in Southampton.
In 2016, Ford made available £ 181 million to invest in the site, but then reduced expenses to £ 100 million.
A year later, the company developed a plan to remove more than a thousand jobs at Bridgend by 2020, leaving a workforce of 600 people. The unions said this leaves no long-term future for the site.
On Wednesday evening, the union, United, said "United, will meet Ford tomorrow morning early, and will comment again the details of any announcement. Our priority is the employment of our members, the communities and the livelihoods of the supply chain that Ford Bridgend supports. "
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