A sad day for FORD Australia

[sapper740]

Originally posted by rynoki
But this is Globalisation folks, and even though what we do is world class, someone else can do it cheaper.
I can tell you first hand there were people in tears today.

Ryan, you have my condolences also. Your comments about Globalization are all too true as we here in North America have also experienced first hand. Ford and GM are attempting to retrench in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. I've seen this first hand while working shutdowns at the many plants near me. I've worked on the assembly plants in Shreveport, Louisiana (Canyon, Colorado, H3, and Isuzu); Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Envoy, Trailblazer); and Arlington, Texas (Yukon, Tahoe, and Escalade). I was dismayed to see how many parts assemblies were made in neither the U.S., or Canada but Mexico! GM Targetmaster engines are also made in Mexico. Further, many jobs are being lost to automation. Most of the work we do in these plants is installing robotics to do away with manual labour. The plant in Shreveport intalled magnetic strips in the floor so that the delivery of assemblies could be done by robotic carts, further reducing the need for human workers. In fact, GM just recently shut down the plant in Oklahoma completely, throwing thousands out of work. All the while, the company executives suck up any savings by voting themselves huge bonuses for "a job well done" Globalization and simple greed are at the bottom of a lot of sorrow these days! Derek.