Ford slashes more than 5,000 jobs in Germany, cuts to come across Europe
Ford Motor is to cut more than 5,000 jobs in Germany and an undetermined number of jobs in the U.K., a company spokeswoman said Friday, after the company launched plans to redefine its struggling European business earlier this year.
"The goal is to significantly decrease structural costs, reduce bureaucracy, empower leaders and managers and eliminate less value-added work," a Ford spokeswoman said.
The move is part of an overhaul, aimed at transforming the company's European business, announced in January. At the time, the car maker said it would slash thousands of jobs in Europe. Last October, Ford had informed employees of a global restructuring.
The company has offered voluntary separation programs for employees in Germany and the U.K., the spokeswoman said. The number of cuts in the U.K. is yet to be determined, she said.
A spokesman added that further measures, including potential job cuts, will be required across its European operation, but that they are still under development.
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The vehicle industry is bracing for impact from electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Ford's Chief Executive Jim Hackett has been implementing sweeping cost-reduction measures.
Write to Donato Paolo Mancini at donatopaolo.mancini@dowjones.com; @donatopmancini