Final UK Transit leaves Southampton

26 July 2013  

THE final UK built Transit has rolled off the production line in Southampton, marking the end of over 100 years of Ford-branded vehicle production in the UK. The vans themselves will continue to be produced in Kocaeli, Turkey.

The plant closure was announced by the company last year as part of a drive to cut costs. While it came as a blow to those who work there, it did not come as a surprise as it has been known for a long time that the production line was too small and could not easily be expanded.

Around 500 jobs were affected by the closure although Ford say that the majority of staff were redeployed in the company or took early retirement.

The closure happened at the same time as the shut-down of the stamping and tooling plant in Dagenham. However, the company has invested in the engine workshop on the same site.

Henry Ford began production of the Model T in Trafford Park, Manchester, in 1912. It was the firm’s first overseas production plant and was at the time state-of-the-art. However, by the end of the 1930s it was decided to be obsolete and an entirely new factory was constructed in Essex. The Southampton plant was built as a ‘Shadow Factory’ during the war to produce aircraft. Post war, it was acquired by Ford and used to produce truck bodies until the launch of the Transit in the mid-1960s.