The temporary employment regulation dossier (Erte) that has shaped Ford Almussafes’ output over the last three years is set to end on 30 June. While Ford has not publicly confirmed the decision, the Valencia factory’s major union, UGT, signals that the process will conclude within the week. After a follow-up meeting on Monday, all pauses planned for the week will be removed in both vehicle and engine production, effectively ending the pauses that had disrupted the schedule.
Specifically, the company has decided to cancel the four-day full production stoppage for new vehicles, moving from this Tuesday through next Friday, and it has also ended the remaining pause day in engine operations scheduled for Friday 30 June. Carlos Faubel, head of the works council and leader of the plant’s gestist center, noted a few weeks ago that the company would shift postponement days toward the end of the semester to observe how things unfold. This Monday, it was confirmed that parts are available and production can resume on any day.
Facing a supply-side improvement, Faubel explains that the current file, if not renewed, will not extend beyond 30 June. He said the plant would not renew the arrangement because the company had not provided new information. The situation, he added, had effectively forced the pause to end and there were no plans to renew it.
End of the Erte period is seen as a resolution to one of the factory’s enduring challenges since March 2020. Parts shortages were gradually addressed, reducing a chronic disruption that kept the lines from running smoothly and weighed on output, which exceeded 245,000 vehicles last year. With improved supply chains and the new operating model agreed in the Erte in April, manufacturing at Almussafes is adapting to a changed landscape.
These layoff-related pauses had been the main reason for two of the four models still in production at the plant, the S-Max and Galaxy minivans, to shift toward full production. The company had emphasized this at the time. Only the Transit Connect remains in production at the plant and is expected to continue into 2027, with a likely farewell next spring. The Kuga program is also planned to adjust in light of electrification timelines.
With the reorganizations, union leadership explains that Production System A for the Kuga will be retained for both morning and afternoon shifts, while System B for the Transit Connect will run only morning shifts.