Ford Shuts Down Belgium Plant

Ford has shut down its plant in Genk, Belgium. The facility here was operational for over 50 years and had built more than 14 million vehicles till the doors officially closed.

The American carmaker had made this decision in late 2012, moving its products to its plant in Valencia, Spain.

The carmaker shifted production of its models like the Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy to this facility in Spain.

The factory at Genk had employed around 4,000 employees, whose jobs will get affected, but will affect jobs for about 11,800 people in total, according to a study by the University of Hasselt.

The last vehicle to roll out of this factory was a Ford Galaxy van, that will bear the signatures of its employees, and will be donated to a charity.

A few employees however, will be at the factory for a few more months to dismantle equipment used for production in the factory.

At the moment, in Belgium, only two vehicle manufacturers are present. Audi is one, which has a factory in Brussels and the Volvo being the second with its factory in Ghent.