A LEADING industry academic has called on Ford's critics in the UK to look at the bigger picture of the manufacturer's presence in Britain.

Despite attacks on Ford for its action over Dagenham, leading industry academic Professor Garel Rhys, director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University Business School, said critics had to look at what the company was doing as a whole.

He said: 'Ford remains a strong manufacturer in the UK through Land Rover, which it is in the process of buying, Jaguar and Aston Martin. Ford will become the major vehicle manufacturer in the West Midlands and in a sense it has saved the West Midlands motor industry.'

Ford operations in Europe

  • Genk - Mondeo/Transit
  • Cologne - Fiesta
  • Saarlouis - Focus
  • Valencia - Fiesta/Focus
  • Southampton - Transit
In Britain

  • Aveley - pilot plant
  • Bridgend - Zetec and Zetec SE ranges for Focus, Mondeo and Cougar and Jaguar V8
  • Croydon - Small metal stampings and assemblies
  • Dagenham - Ford Fiesta, Courier vans, Mazda 121 (until 2002), diesel and some petrol engines
  • Daventry - Ford and Motorcraft 'all makes' parts and accessories
  • Dunton - Global vehicle centre for small and medium vehicles, research, engineering and design
  • Halewood - Ford Escort cars and vans switch to Jaguar X400 production at end of 2000. Also builds manual transmissions, engine gears, suspension components
  • Leamington - foundry producing components for petrol engines, brake parts, exhaust manifolds
  • Southampton - Ford Transit
  • Basildon - admin
  • Warley - HQ