Ford Reaches Four-Year Deal with Belgian Unions

American manufacturer Ford has just signed a four-year agreement with Belgian unions over the future of the Genk assembly plant and Lommel proving ground facilities. In other words, Ford has assured local unions that no job cuts will occur in the next four years, with the capacity to be maintained at 225,000 units a year.

The Genk facility will be in charge with the production of the CD segment vehicles sold by the US-based company in Europe, including the Mondeo plus the S-MAX and the Galaxy. Each of this models will undergo a makeover this year, with production lines to be modified to comply with the new requirements.

"At a time of considerable concern in the Belgian automotive industry, Ford's commitment is a sign of the confidence we have in our employees, suppliers and the Flanders region. This is great news for Ford, Flanders and Belgium," said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe, speaking at the signing ceremony in Genk.

"The agreement gives both Genk and Lommel stability in the years ahead, while also securing the further improvements in efficiency and productivity that are needed to maintain their global competitiveness. I would like to thank all of those who have helped to secure this agreement, including the Ford management team, our union colleagues, the local authorities, and the Flanders and federal governments."

Ford hasn't provided too many details on this but confirmed that further investments will follow in the near future, mostly in the local infrastructure to help remain among the top facilities across Europe.