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For more than a century, Ford has been pioneering innovation in the automotive industry. As the industry charges toward an electrified future, Ford’ s goal is to help build a better world, where everyone is free to move and pursue their dreams. Ford’ s Halewood Plant( Halewood) stands at the heart of this transformation, playing a central role in the company’ s objectives. Located in the village of Halewood, near Liverpool, the plant’ s current products include transmissions for iconic models like the Fiesta, Focus, Kuga, and Transit. Since 2024, Halewood has been manufacturing components for Ford’ s nextgeneration electric vehicles( EVs), including the E-Transit Custom, E-Tourneo Custom, Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Puma, and further future products. Lee Meyers, Plant Manager, provides an overview of Halewood’ s role in Ford’ s operations.
“ Halewood is a transmission plant established in 1964, which was an interesting time for the region. Like many transmission plants in Europe, in 2001, it transitioned from being a Ford plant to being operated under Getrag Ford Transmissions( GFT). This joint venture lasted until 2021, a 20-year period that could be considered quite an uncertain time for our employees. However, it was key in preparing us for where we are today, as it allowed our team to bid for work with all original equipment manufacturers( OEMs). To that end, everyone was required to sharpen their focus and develop an entrepreneurial spirit to ensure that we remained competitive, as we had no divine right to be awarded work for Ford or anyone else. In March 2021, we dissolved the joint venture, thereby reintegrating the facility back into Ford. As a result, Ford now has a highly efficient plant that is not only competitive on cost but also boasts a strong reputation for quality. This success helped us secure the bid for power unit work for EVs, enabling us to move forward with an electric future,” he begins.
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