Saarlouis - Rehlinger remains confident about Ford succession
Around a year and a half after the Ford Group announced its withdrawal from car production in Saarlouis, Saar Minister President Anke Rehlinger (SPD) remains optimistic about the search for an investor. "I remain confident that we will find a solution for the site with as many jobs as possible," she told the German Press Agency in Saarbrücken. Talks are currently still underway with an investor from the automotive industry. "However, it is important that there are also other alternatives."
"I feel the same way as the Ford employees: of course I would like to have the best solution very quickly." However, the government "unfortunately does not have all the strings in its own hands", said the SPD politician. The land would only be available when Ford ceased operations. "But the sooner we know how things can continue in the interests of the employees, the better."
Production of the Ford Focus at the Saarlouis site will end in mid-2025. The US car manufacturer announced the decision at the end of June 2022 that the plant in Valencia, Spain, would be awarded the contract for the new electric car platform. This also marked the end of Focus production in Saarlouis at the time.
By January 1, 2024, the number of employees is to be reduced from 4500 to 3850. A works agreement guarantees around 1000 Ford employees a job until the end of 2032. This means that 2850 employees do not know what will happen next.
The location is still "highly attractive", said Rehlinger. Firstly because of the location, but also because of the skills and motivation of the employees. Whether a seamless transition will succeed is still unclear. This would certainly be desirable.
At the beginning of October, it was announced that negotiations with an interested party to take over the Ford site had initially failed. They were resumed shortly afterwards. "A number of framework conditions also play a role - geopolitics, for example - over which we as the Saarland state government have only limited influence," said Rehlinger.
The recent cancellation of the state purchase premium for electric cars would not affect the decision on a potential car manufacturer who might also want to produce e-cars. "I believe that in the end, such a decision will not be able to jeopardize a major investment," said the head of government. As a large automotive company, you have a different planning basis that is not based on a premium of 4000 euros.
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Source: www.stern.de
