20/02/2002 Dagenham says Goodbye to the Ford Fiesta
The Final Fiesta to be produced at Ford's biggest UK car plant rolled of the production line Today. This brings 71 years car production to an end at Dagenham.
The closure of the plant is expected to result in the loss of at least 1,100 jobs. The Facility at Dagenham will switch to producing Diesel engines.
Tony Woodley , The National Officer of the Transport and General Workers Union said today that
"The Closure is as unjustified today as it was when the decision was made".
Ford Chairman Ian McAllister said
" It is sad that car production is ending after 71 years.But it also marks a new era in that Dagenham is now set to become Ford's global centre of excellence for diesel engine manufacture"
250 of the workers have been employed in other posts at Dagenham or in other Ford plants around the country. The remainder of the workers have taken early retirement or voluntary redundancy packages.
The Ford car factory was built in 1929 producing many succesful cars such as the Anglia, Prefect, Cortina, and Sierra. In total over 11 million cars rolled off the production lines. The Fiesta production started in 1976.
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1950's the Ford Prefect Assembly Line ......1931 The first Ford Model A Truck
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