The residents of Genk, Belgium, may have to pay a higher price for future Ford vehicle lineups, it seems. The US automaker, Ford, has finally shut down its plant in Genk, Belgium, officially last Thursday, December 25, 2014. Well, it seems like someone has just gotten a bitter Christmas gift.
As it turns out, the American company’s plan to shut down its factory in Genk, Belgium, has been known for two years. The decision first came into public attention back in the year 2012. Back then, the company announced that it would be moving production of its new models to its factory that was located at Valencia, Spain. Back then, the company’s Belgian factory had no less than four thousand people employed. Yet, with the closure of this factory, a lot more people are going to lose their job. The University of Hasselt believes that no less than 11,800 people will lose their job when the plant closes. This is also influenced by the fact that Ford suppliers will have no option but to make some layoffs as well.
Shutting down its plant in Genk, Belgium, the US automaker decides to produce a white Ford Galaxy MPV as the final model. This car has also been signed by the employees of the plant and is donated for charity.
The final shift at Ford’s plant in Genk, Belgium, came to an end at 8 a.m. EST. Even though a great number of people out there are going to lose their job, the US automaker is determined to keep some few hundreds of its employees for the next few months to help dismantle the company’s assembly lines.
The shutdown of this particular Ford’s factory in Genk, Belgium, is rather ironic, to be honest. The plant has been operation for over fifty years and it has produced fourteen million vehicles, give or take. The vehicle lineups that were once produced in this factory include the Ford Mondeo, Ford Galaxy and the Ford S-MAX.
