The Ford car company in Cork announces an expansion programme which will create 850 jobs.
News of the £5 million programme of investment for Ford in Cork comes with the news that Ireland has lost out to Wales for an £180 million Ford engine factory.
The expansion programme announced today involves £5 million and 850 jobs.
Ford's Managing Director Paddy Hayes explains why the investment in a new operation went to Wales over Ireland. He says that the existing infrastructure available in Britain was one of the deciding factors in choosing the location of the new plant. While the decision is disappointing for Ireland, he believes that it was the correct business decision. Paddy Hayes is delighted to be announcing 850 new jobs for Cork.
The Leeside plant currently employs 1,100 workers and the expansion in employment comes with the implementation of a double-shift work system. The plan is to rationalise the assembly ioperation to focus on one model line producing an additional 25,000 cars a year. 75 per cent of the total production will be for the export market. The £5 million investment will be spent on more sophisticated assembly machinery at the Cork plant. Recruitment for the new positions will begin next month.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 9 September 1977. The reporter is Conor McAnally.
