Ford of Europe wants to become a 100 percent electric brand by 2030, but it’s shedding 11 percent of its workforce to make it happen.
The company has announced it will cut one in nine jobs in Europe, axing 2,800 employees who currently work in product development and 1,000 engaged in administrative work over the next three years. Approximately 2,300 jobs will go in Germany, 1,300 in the UK, and a further 200 in other parts of Europe.
Ford said the move is aimed at making the company a leaner operation that can combat rising costs and is better suited to a future making electric vehicles that are less complex than traditional combustion cars and SUVs. The firm will maintain a team of 3,400 engineers in Europe, but much of their work will be focused on adapting technologies developed in the U.S. for the European market.
“We are completely reinventing the Ford brand in Europe,” said Martin Sander, General Manager of Ford’s Model e electric division in Europe. “Unapologetically American, outstanding design and connected services that will differentiate Ford and delight our customers in Europe.”
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“We are ready to compete and win in Europe,” Sander added, attempting to put positive spin on the news. “Our first European-built electric passenger vehicle is being introduced this spring and will surely turn heads,” he said, referring to the SUV Ford will launch this spring using the MEB platform from the Volkswagen ID.4.
Ford’s restructuring plans have already resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs in North America. Last fall it was revealed that 2,000 salaried employees and 1,000 agency workers would be let go. Most of the redundancies affected workers in Michigan.