Ford boss fronts media as factory closes

Ford Australia's president and CEO Graeme Whickman fronted the media after the last Falcon and Territory rolled off the production line at Broadmeadows this morning, calling it an "emotional day".

"Today is an emotional day for the entire team at Ford Australia," said Whickman, who closes the door on more than 90 years of Ford manufacturing in Australia today.

"We're saying goodbye to some wonderful manufacturing colleagues who've done a great deal for Ford in Australia.

"We're also finishing the production of Falcon, a cultural icon in Australia, and also Territory and Falcon Ute."

Around 3.4 million Falcons have been built at the Broadmeadows factory in Melbourne's north since 1960.

"It was an honour to be in Broadmeadows this morning to see their pride, when the last XR6 came down the line," said Whickman.

The local Ford chief stressed that around 160 line workers have been redeployed into "other parts of our business, primarily product development".

However, he shied away from assertions that more than half of the sacked workers are unlikely to find new jobs. Ford confirmed it would exit local manufacturing in 2013.

"Importantly for our employees we've set out the three years to find them the best chance to move on and be successful," he said.

"Today is around honouring those employees. Some are retiring, some are retraining, some are being redeployed.

"For any employee who walks out the door today, we will maintain outreach centres in both Geelong and Broadmeadows, up until the early part of next year, where if they need further assistance they can reach that."

Whickman ruled out the possibility of restarting production, and it's understood the rehabilitation and eventual sale of Ford land at Broadmeadows and Geelong will not occur until next decade.

"As it pertains to the properties, we're a long way away from looking at what happens to the properties. We need to decommission and go through some important environmental steps and we'll talk about that in the future," stated the Ford Australia CEO.

On a sombre day for the Ford chief and his workers, Whickman refused to be drawn into a discussion over whether the Australian automotive manufacturing industry could have been saved if the government maintained support.

"I can only talk for Ford and we've made decisions that are well documented and that's gone down at an industry level," he said.

Ford's factory closures will be followed by Holden and Toyota late in 2017, after which time mass Australian vehicle production will cease.

Whickman said the end of local manufacturing would not be an impediment for future growth for Ford, which will continue to design and develop regional and global models like the Thai-built Ranger utility, sales of which are at an all-time high.

"While this is a difficult day, we're proud to carry on their legacy and also Falcon's legacy as we continue to invest in local research and development, more than any other automaker in Australia," said Whickman.

"Many of our customers report to us they're happy and satisfied with the range of vehicles we have already. The Ranger has been designed and engineered here, and Everest. And they’ve been well received.

"I feel confident consumers, if given the opportunity and we earn the right for them to choose, they'll be happy with the products."

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