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Ford of Britain in the 1990s: Corporate strategy in Europe and the future of the Ford localities

During the early 1990s Ford of Britain has experienced considerable financial difficulties. The future of Ford's major British factories, as well as its commitment to maintain research, development and headquarters activities in the United Kingdom, have been repeatedly questioned. Ford localities are spread across the country, and there is concern locally for economic development and employment implications. Analysis of the Europeanisation of Ford's spatial structure of production since the 1960s, and of recent decisions concerning British and other European operations, reveals the complex role of United Kingdom sites within Ford's wider structures. Among the notable conclusions of this analysis is a questioning of the accepted wisdom that factories like Dagenham are bound to be closed during the 1990s. Interested parties in the United Kingdom Ford localities need to keep up with Ford's strategic thinking: they particularly need to analyse the company at a European level, and to break with a number of past ideas the question of integrated vs screwdriver operations, inevitability of plant closures sooner or later-that dominate current discussions and rumours. Local authorities may have an important role to play in switching debate about the future of the Ford localities onto a new and positive ground.