Ford to expand engine plant

The plant will produce a new premium 3.2-litre six-cylinder power unit, which will be used by Volvo's S80 flagship saloon and its face-lifted XC90 SUV. Bridgend will be expected to produce 209,000 new units on an annual basis, taking engine production to a total of a million units a year by 2009. Output at Ford Dagenham, in Essex, is also on track to top a million engines a year, bringing Ford's UK engine production up to two million units per annum. Employment levels at Bridgend are set to rise to meet increased production. The plant employs 1,629 workers but that figure will rise by 250 in the next two years. Rhodri Morgan, first minister for Wales, said: “What I have seen at Ford's Bridgend plant is a motivated, highly skilled workforce turning out high quality engines for the Ford Motor Company. “Our proven success in Wales has helped us win this contract. We have the flexibility and quality levels required to make new automotive products a success. This is what has earned this massive investment.”