FordNewsMonthly magazine for Ford employees in the UK July/August 2009

Dagenham: 80 years in the making

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DagenhamTig Forder 07884 288440tig.forder@gmail.com

DaventryPeter Watt 07712 874714peter@pwattpr.com

Ford News, 1/466, Ford Motor Company Ltd.,Eagle Way, Brentwood,Essex, CM13 3BW

email: fnews@ford.com

Classified AdvertisementsJill Bird 01277 253947jbird2@ford.com

Sales: Positive figures in April

Rail reunion:Using EDAP to keep on track

Cover story:Dagenham’s 80th anniversary

BridgendRobin Roberts 01446 742905 vr.oom@btinternet.com

DuntonKelvin Brown 01277 252102kbrow139@ford.com

Editor Jason Simms 01277 253946 jsimms14@ford.com

Design & Display AdvertisementsMartin Hammond 01277 254195mhammon5@ford.com

SouthamptonSeren Boyd 01395 222303info@splasheditorial.co.uk

Feel the difference

Positive sales results have provided welcome and deserved good newsfor Ford in a market which continues to be extremely challenging for allvehicle manufacturers. Market share is increasing, sales of models emitting less than 120

g/Km CO2 have more than doubled so far this year compared with thesame period in 2008, and Fiesta and Focus are first and second in the

charts respectively.Perhaps most encouraging of all is that in May 2009 we sold almost as

many small cars as we did immediately before recession gripped themarket. In fact, just 50 fewer Ka, Fiesta and Fusion units were sold thanin May 2008 – we should all be proud of that achievement.

As the impact of the government scrappage scheme is yet to registersignificantly in sales figures, we can reasonably expect improvements in sales volume tocontinue.

Our outstanding product range is the chief reason for this success but the actions of all whowork at Ford played a part in that success. From designers to accountants, assembly workersto transporter drivers – all are crucial players in the tricky business of profitably deliveringdynamic, attractive vehicles that represent excellent value for money.

Achieving this in the toughest of economic climates shows how well we can manage factorswithin our control and shape them to deliver exceptional results.

For example, great strides have been made in quality but we cannot afford to lose any of theground we have gained. We have also made a big impact on reducing costs but we mustcontinue to seek out opportunities to further reduce our overheads.

In addition, each Ford employee, retiree and beneficiary can help sales figures directlythrough the Ambassador scheme. As we are entitled to allocate three vouchers to friends andother contacts every year, we have the potential to generate over 140,000 unit sales annually.Awareness rather than a hard-sell is the key with such sales so I encourage you to familiariseyourself with the scheme (see page 23).

Ford of Britain MD Nigel Sharp shares his news and views

Dear all

What’s different?

Managing Director

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Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showsales of Ford’s small car range returning to levels of a year ago. In Maythis year, new Ka, Fiesta and Fusion registrations were within 50 unitsof their 10,046 May 2008 total.

Continuing the Blue Oval-dominated battle for top sales spot, newFiesta remained number one with Focus second, reflecting their year-to-date positions. In total, 7,040 new Fiestas were registered withFocus just behind on 6,693 - that’s 48,182 and 38,655 respectively in2009.

These results helped Ford outperform the total car market onceagain with May sales down just 16 per cent versus May 2008compared with an industry drop of 24.8 per cent. In this reducedmarket Ford claimed 17.3 per cent of all May vehicle sales – apercentage point up on a year ago. The growing popularity of moreeconomical vehicles helped the Kuga compact crossover, capable of46.3mpg and 159g/km CO2 emissions, achieve a near 50 per centsales surge.

The Government’s scrappage scheme has started to have a positiveeffect, with more than 3,800 extra Ford registrations last month. Ka,Fiesta and Fusion model ranges account for two thirds of scrappage

deals in Blue Oval dealerships, the remainder are chiefly forFocus.

Ford Britain managing director, NigelSharp, said: “We hope thisscrappage scheme will boostsales of new vehicles and indoing so, help secure jobs atFord and our dealer partners,and assist the environment. It isearly days yet but increased web traffic andshowroom visits are now turning into vehicle registrations, so weremain optimistic as we head into the summer selling months.”

Sales of Ford cars under the 120g/km CO2 tax break rose by 57 percent last month – and have more than doubled so far this yearcompared with the same 2008 period.

Figures were also given a boost with the delivery of more than 1,600vehicles to Avis as part of an innovative new daily rental service it isproviding for BAE Systems. The entire fleet of Ford cars was deliveredwithin just two weeks to ensure the contract started on time.

See page 7 for impact of the scrappage scheme on production.

The Fiesta range has beenstrengthened with the arrivalof the new Durashiftautomatic transmissionmodels. Matched to theFiesta’s new 1.4-litre, 96PSDuratec petrol engine,

convenience does not significantly compromise performance oreconomy, with new Fiesta automatic achieving 0-62mph in 13.9sec,43.4mpg and a CO2 rating of 154g/km.

Beyond core performance, development work has also refined theFord Fiesta’s accelerator pedal response and created a sporty drivingquality, present even with the automatic transmission.

The 1.4-litre automatic completes the Fiesta’s UK engine andtransmission line-up. Sales of the new Fiesta to the end of May 2009totalled 48,182 units.

Ford’s increasing strength in the Motability market hasseen it reach the top of the scheme’s sales chart. Accordingto Motability Operation‘s own figures, more than 1,100 Fordvehicles were registered than those of the next bestperforming manufacturer. In total, 3,657 vehicles wereregistered, down five per cent on May 2008 figures in amarket suffering 19 per cent average decline.

May 2009 was the third consecutive month Ford wasMotability’s most popular manufacturer.

Those results contributed to a total of 17,694 vehiclessold so far in 2009 under the scheme. Ford’s increasingshare in the market is due to the wide range of cars on offerand the arrival of new Fiesta which has proved extremely

popular. Focus continues to be a strong performer.Ford Britain Motability manager, Mark Chapman, said:

“Ford’s position in the Motability market is very robust.Overall our sales are down nine per cent so far in 2009 butwe are still significantly ahead of the industry’s 16 per centdeficit on 2008 figures, and importantly our share isincreasing.”

Ford Motability also welcomes a new ambassador,Jane Sowerby (pictured). A fall six years ago left Janeparalysed from the waist down but she has since becomea Paralympian hopeful for the British Disabled Ski team. Ifall goes to plan, Jane will be taking part in the WinterParalympics to held in Vancouver in 2010.

Scrappage scheme beginning to have impact

Growing strength in Motability

The introduction of a new, 2.0-litre, 115PS engine to its ECOneticrange has created the lowest CO2 Mondeo yet. Offered in five-door orestate derivatives, it is rated at just 139g/km CO2, furthering Ford’scommitment to creating fuel efficient models, without sacrificingpracticality or driving characteristics.

Optimised with a six-speed transmission, it offers combined fueleconomy of 54.3mpg, rising to 64.2mpg in motorway cruising, andgives a potential combined driving range of over 800 miles.

Ford now boasts thebroadest sub-160g/kmvehicle range of anymanufacturer, with 185models providingsavings to companycar and family buyersalike.

FN 5

Two-litre ECOnetic

Fiesta gets auto

6 FordNews July/August 2009

Ford dealers in Irelandare receiving theirregular service parts orders significantlyquicker thanks to improvements developedby the Daventry Distribution team. Therestructured delivery service not only helpsthe dealers compete more effectively andattract new business but has also providedFord’s parts operations with major reductionsin transport costs.

The new service – which has cut typicalstock order delivery times from 90 hours to40 hours – was designed and implementedby a cross-functional team in less than threemonths, including all the necessary revisionsto the supporting IT systems.

“The new Parts Order service is good newsfor the Irish market,” said Ford CustomerService Division director for Ford Ireland, BillNoonan. “Dealers can get their stock ordersin half the time, reducing their costs andgiving them the opportunity to offer a betterservice to Ford customers.”

The dramatic timesaving was achievedfollowing a detailed analysis of the existingdelivery process. This revealed that byintroducing additional order processing runsin the warehouse, selecting a quicker ferrycrossing and streamlining the transportationnetwork in Ireland, dealers could receive theparts much quicker.

In fact, parts ordered before lunchtime cannow be delivered by the following morning,allowing dealers to respond much moreefficiently to customer requirements. Thisnew service is complemented by theadditional ‘vehicle off road’ service for urgent

parts, which allows dealers to submit ordersup to 6pm in the evening for delivery the nextmorning.

Transport cost savings approaching£700,000 per year have also been achievedby eliminating the need for air freight tosupplement road deliveries for more urgentitems. In addition to the parts shipped by airfrom the UK, this also includes parts whichDaventry could not supply, which werepreviously sent to Ireland by air from the partswarehouse in Cologne.

Parts from Cologne are now transportedby road to Daventry, where they areintegrated with shipments from thatwarehouse and dispatched together toIreland. The new process takes no longerthan sending by air, but ensures that thedealer receives the entire order in a singledelivery.

Dunton-based engineershave beenworking with A-level students from localschools on projects set up by Ford and othercompanies including NPower, Halcrow andSelex.

Dunton welcomed students and teachersfrom 16 schools for an Engineering EducationScheme assessment day when they showedoff projects as diverse as the design of a flat-pack footbridge, hands-free rear dooropening system for Transit Connect and arapid warm-up system for vehicle engines.

“This initiative is supported by EducationOutreach as part of the continuum ofeducational support built up over severalyears to encourage students to chooseengineering, technology or science as acareer. It is delivered in partnership with theEngineering Development Trust,” saidEducation Outreach‘s David Cayton.

The projects undertaken were allengineering challenges involving severalmonths of work, where the students neededto solve difficult problems, compile reports,analyse the issues and deliver a convincingpresentation.

David said: “This is another high qualityopportunity by Ford for young people to work

with professionals in delivering real lifeengineering projects.”

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Reaching outto students

Improved service to Ireland

The team from Greensward College,Hockley, with their substitute gearchangesystem for Transit Connect

Ford’s world rally team director, Malcolm Wilson, has beennamed in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Malcolm wasawarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his services toBritish motorsport.

The award is one of the highest achievements bestowed bythe British monarchy and recognises distinguished achievementin any field at national or regional level. Wilson will receive hishonour from Her Majesty The Queen at a ceremony atBuckingham Palace in London later this year.

Malcolm, director of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Teamand managing director of M-Sport, which runs Ford’s world rallyprogramme, commented: “It’s a great honour to be recognisedin this way. Motorsport, and particularly rallying, has been mylife.”

Ford‘s outstanding product line-upcontinues to draw media plaudits.

S-MAX has won the large MPV class inthe British Insurance Car Security Awardsfor the third year in a row, with Galaxy oncemore runner-up. Supported by securityexperts Thatcham, the Department forTransport, the Home Office and UKinsurers, the awards are the highest officialrecognition of vehicle security in the UK.

The S-MAX 1.8 TDCi has also won thelarge MPV category in the EnvironmentalTransport Association’s (ETA) Green CarAwards 2009. The organisation was

established in 1990 as an ethical motoringorganisation and sustainable travel lobbygroup.

The ETA is now Britain’s largest charityfocused on transport and the environment.

Ford cars were also the top of the list oftowcars, in the third annual Towcar Awards,as judged by experts from What Car?,Practical Caravan and The Camping andCaravanning Club.

The Ford S-MAX 2.2-litre TDCi Titaniumhas been judged best in its weight class,while the Ford Kuga 2.0-litre TDCi Zetec2WD has taken top honours in its category.

Rally bossbecomesOBE

Prize formentorSouthampton plant stalwartGary Appleton has marked hisretirement from Ford by winning a top award for his mentoring work.The former paint shop senior engineer has been awarded the 2009Mentor of the Year award by Southampton Solent University (SSU).

It celebrates his work during the last year with final year businessand marketing student Ellen Jones, who referred to Gary in hernomination as being ‘a rock’ for her during the year.

SSU mentoring co-ordinator Louise Drake, said Gary had beenan exceptional mentor over the years. “We are proud tocongratulate Gary as he has provided our students with suchtremendous support,” she said.

The award marks a new chapter in Gary’s life, as he embarks on anew career in training. “I’m really far too young to retire and now Ihave my plan for the next decade. It’s a complete change of life.”

S-MAX awards aplenty

FN 7

UK andEuropeanscrappageschemes are goodnews for Bridgend

Engine Plant (BEP). As the incentives arerolled out and more buyers appreciate theopportunities and savings to be made, theWelsh plant has gone into overdrive to meetdemand.

Sigma production has risen over 54 percent in recent months with most of thoseengines destined for new Fiesta which is

taking about a third of total BEP output.Sigma units are also fitted in Mondeo, Focus,C-MAX, Focus Coupe Cabriolet and Fusion.

BEP saw Sigma production pass 55,000units in March, over 44,000 in April andaround 43,000 in May.

Bridgend MP&L manager Colin Nowersaid: “Our volume for Sigma is going upalmost every day. When you look at theorders you can see the additional work isbeing driven by demand for the new Fiestaseries, which is a great car, and it makes usvery proud to be part of its success.”

Scrappage scheme good for Sigma

Ford and the fire servicecame to the rescue of a localcollege by putting much-needed equipment into theirworkshops. The Southampton plant donated 11 items ofunwanted equipment, including lathes, mills, hydraulics andpneumatic rigs, to Eastleigh College for use in the NVQ and BTECengineering courses.

But the equipment was so heavy and unwieldy, that college staffwere unable to remove it from the flatbed transporter. Mercifully,Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Urban Search and Rescue unit(USAR) came up trumps, and offered to help out with their Manitou – afour-wheel drive vehicle with a telescopic arm specially designed forlifting and moving.

“It was like Thunderbirds to the rescue,” said Eastleigh Collegelearning manager Mike Driscoll. “The idea is that we try to set our

workshops up to replicate an industrial environment, but when we triedto get quotes for lifting the equipment into our stores, we gotnowhere.”

USAR watch manager, Lee Giffard (pictured), said the team wereglad to be of assistance. “We are the only department in theHampshire Fire Service which has this capability,” he said. “Afterspeaking with Ford and the college, we decided it was for a goodcause and used the Manitou to move the equipment around.”

Ford training officer, John Powell, said the collaboration had been agreat success. “This is a great example of team work in thecommunity.”

Generous employees at Dunton dug deep in their pocketsand donated £1,350 to five local hospices, as part of the DuntonCharity Committee (DCC) organised door collection. The daywas co-ordinated by DCC member Michelle Faddie, C-Carcommunications manager – no mean task considering thenumber of entrances into the Dunton site that needed to bemanned by Ford and hospice volunteers.

Despite a cold morning the sun shone and the generosity ofDunton employees matched the good weather. The five localhospices to benefit were: Fair Havens, Little Havens, St Luke‘s,St Francis and Farleigh.

“The £1,350 total raised was an increase from the £1,200 lastyear, a significant achievement considering the current financialclimate,” said RobArgles of the charitycommittee.

“The committeerounded the total upto £1,500, enablingthe hospices to eachbenefit to the tune of£300.”

Seven employees from Powertrain at Dunton raised £2,222 running the five-kilometreCancer Research UK Race for Life in Basildon. “Quite an achievement considering some of thegirls had not run before,” said Claire Walton, manual transmission supervisor in DrivetrainSystems Engineering. “We have had great support from our colleagues and have been runningthree times a week.” Fellow runner, application engineer Tracey Cashman, added: “We are nowpreparing to run a 10k race for Cancer Research with some of the Powertrain boys in October.”

Bridgend Engine Plantshopfloor has been given a safetyboost with a new rapid responsemedical trolley which can carry twotrained nurses, a stretcher and vitallifesaving first response equipment.With over 100,000 sq metres ofshopfloor it is vital that firstresponders and medical staff canquickly reach locations.

The electric trolley is stationedbehind the plant medical centreand is permanently available toanswer emergency calls anywhereon site. Medical staff haveundergone plant training to drivethe vehicle. It is also available to doroutine assessments and checks ofmedical equipment strategicallyplaced throughout the plant foremergency use and to makeworkplace visits.

Clinical manager, Cheryl Barnes,said: “The layout of the plantmeans it is not suitable for a regular

ambulance in most locations whereit could not turn around ormanoeuvre but the trolley can getthrough the smallest gaps. With thetrolley we can quickly cover theplant and get trained medical staffand vital equipment to an incidentor recover a casualty.

“In an emergency situation wewould work very closely with thesecurity staff so the medical staffcan concentrate on treating thepatient at the incident or on thetrolley before they are handed overto the public ambulance service.”

FN 9

Hospice donations

Dunton fundraisers run for lifeFrom left: Tracey Cashman, Joanna Papamargaritis,Anita Horwood, Boguslawa Ochab, Kelly Ridgwell,Fiona Johnson and Claire Walton

Kelita Sikwa and occupational healthpractice nurse Clair Andrews checkover the medical trolley

rescue

From left: Rob Argles, DCC; Debbie de Boltz, Farleigh; MatthewLoynes, DCC; Lynda Head, St Francis; Dave Russell, DCC; DaveBishop, Fair Havens/Little Havens; Sadie Jasper, DCC; AnitaWhelan, St. Luke’s; Arvinder Marway, DCC

Manitou to the

First aid

FN 11

Ford Southampton has been relaunchedas a one-shift plant with a new staff trainingprogramme. Following reductions inproduction volumes and employee numbers(from 1,150 to 542), One Southampton is ascheme which builds on the companyobjective of One Ford.

Embracing the one-shift work patternpositively, the programme aims to listen tostaff’s concerns, boost morale and ultimatelymake the plant more effective.

Human Resources manager, Rob Ardley,said the focus is to work with employees andsuppliers. “In parallel with supporting thosestaff who were leaving, we’ve been working

to ensure the plant remains a good place tobe,” he said. “We want good morale andhave been rebuilding the team, albeit asmaller team.”

To do this, the decision was made toembrace the One Ford model and pick outsome of the key messages that are relevantto Southampton. “We are now smaller, allaccounted for and need to pull together to besuccessful,” added Rob.

To implement One Southampton, plantemployees were split into ten groups of 60 fora manager-developed session on SQDCME(safety, quality, delivery, cost, morale andenvironment. Participants’ feedback is being

used to plan future initiatives, with 93 percent saying the session was worthwhile.

“People understand it and there is amassive focus on quality right now. We arechanging things and we are listening. We aregetting to know the guys on the floor and itfeels a nicer place to be,” said Rob.

Daventry’s overseas export customersare benefitting from a new process formanaging parts shipments from thewarehouse which travel in large containersvia sea. The new process – which wasdeveloped as part of a six-sigma project ledby 6 Sigma Black Belt Bridget Halpin – hasimproved the quality and speed of deliveries,and provided significant cost savings forDaventry’s operations.

Before the project team got to work,Daventry used an external warehouse tostore export deliveries which were either toosmall to ship economically or which neededspecial inspections prior to shipment. Thisprocess also required extra administrativeservices provided by an external company.

The cross-functional project team –

including representatives from warehouse,transport operations and customer liaison – was able to identify a more efficientprocess which made it possible to store theexport cases within the Daventry site, ratherthan transporting them to the externallocation.

Regular weekly meetings were introducedto review when export shipments wereready for release, and new invoicing andshipping processes were developed tooptimise the way they were handled withinthe warehouse.

“Our new export processes will reducecosts by £250,000 each year,” said Daventrysite manager Andy Blaber. “The project teamwas able to find a solution which uses theresources we already have on site, while at

the same time providing ouroverseas customers with a superior service.”

Export customers should see significantbenefits from the new approach. Becausethe export cases now experience lesshandling and are stored locally within theDaventry warehouse, there is less risk thatthe shipments will be damaged or mislaid.

When the cases are released fortransportation, the shipments can also bemade more quickly since the parts arealready on site.

One Southampton

Shipping success

Especially safe behaviourby a contractor during demolition at Bridgend has earned the first‘green cards’ awarded by Dunton’s Powertrain Operations Manufacturing Engineering (PTO ME).

Wilson Construction was awarded the Safety Culture Green Cards for their work during thedemolition and strip-out phase of the EcoBoost engine programme.

In fact, Wilson Construction’s method of working was considered so good it has now beenincorporated into the standard PTO ME specification for similar work. “At the end of the strip-outphase of a programme it’s very important that no loose material is left in the roof space, as anyitems that remain at height present a hazard and the potential for an accident,” explained MarkDonnison, PTO ME facilities supervisor of plant engineering. “Wilson Construction took ourstandard Ford procedure for performing a high level sweep and developed it further to incorporatea detailed method of reporting, using photographs and schematic maps of the area.”

These green cards are the first awarded since the scheme started in 2008. “We’ve hadprocedures for identifying and addressing behaviours on our sites for years but with thedevelopment of our safety culture the next step was to recognise contributions above and beyondnormal business,” said PTO ME safety leader Chris Bracey.

“We want to recognise safe behaviours on our sites but we want our partners to win furtherbusiness off the back of their safety successes,” said PTO ME director, Paul Neighbour. “Thesafety of our sites gives us a competitive edge – companies want to work on our sites.”

Safety first

Lesley Holden checking thedispatches before they are shipped

From left: Craig Wilson, of Wilson Construction,receives his award from Chris Bracey, JoeWilliams of Wilson Construction, and MarkDonnison presents an award to Jason Leeds

Rob Ardley, front, with from left, ShaneDouglas, Martin Manley, Tony Le Grange,

Dane Butten and Martin Swain

!!!!!!!

Dagenham: 80 yeaOnce the most self-contained car manufacturing plant the UK has ever seen

On 17 May, 1929, Edsel, the sonof company founder Henry Ford,was the first to dig into the low-lying marsh which the companyhad bought in 1924.

Ford Dagenham took 28months to build, from Edseldigging the first turf with a silver spade to its firstvehicle, a Model AA truck, rolling off the productionline in October 1931.

Special trains moved 2,000 Ford employees andtheir families to their new Dagenham homes fromTrafford Park, Manchester – the company's first UKplant. The move was achieved in the space of oneweekend.

Built on wasteland and reclaimed marshes, Ford ofBritain's first chairman, Lord Perry, describedDagenham as "almost the worst possible choice" ofsite. Before Ford acquired the site it was part ofBritain's first flying ground for experiments with earlyplanes.

Bought for £167,700 the initial site measured just295 acres, around 150 football pitches. Because of itsmarshland location, 22,000 piles had to be sunk up to80 feet into the ground to support the factory – ninemillion wooden blocks formed the factory floor. Whenfirst fired up in 1931, Ford's power station generatedenough electricity for a town of 180,000 inhabitants.

Built before the introduction of the National HealthService, employees benefited from an on-site doctor,trained nurses, operating theatre, X-ray equipment,dispensary and several first aid stations.

The first vehicle, a Model AA truck, rolled off theproduction line on 1 October 1931 - the last was aFiesta in 2002.

Dagenham's floor space peaked at four millionsquare feet and employee numbers hit 40,000 in1953.

The early years

12 FordNews July/August 2009

19

29

to

20

09

ars in the makingn, Ford Dagenham continues to be an industry-leading facility after 80 years

During the war the Dagenham jetty was used to evacuate 17,000 local residents.May 1940 and when Churchill took over significant military vehicle orders came in the form of V8 Bren gun carriers,Fordson tractors, Ford Emergency Food Vans and Fire tenders.During the war period, Dagenham became Britain’s chief tractor supplier.Despite the factory rooftops being camouflaged to look like fields and being manned with anti-aircraft guns, 200

bombs fell on the Dagenham estate during the Second World War.1941 Women work at Dagenham for the first time, initially 1,100 rising toapprox 3,400 at war’s end.In 1942 Dagenham Foundry workers raised £7,500 to buy a Spitfire –equivalent to over £250,000 at today's prices.Dagenham furnace slag was used to asphalt the surfaces of 56 airfields in 10counties.1943 Dagenham recognises the unions.Three weeks after the end of WWII, Dagenham restarted car production.Left: 1946, the millionth vehicle produced at Dagenham was a 10bhp Prefect.

Although an urban industrial site, Dagenham has its fairshare of wildlife with over 50 different species of birdlifemaking their home there. Ford and the ForestryCommission have planted 10,500 trees as part of theenvironmental regeneration of the Dagenham Estate whilefreshwater fish are found in the on-site lake called TheBreach. Five major classes of insect live alongsideproduction including the rare Bombardier beetle and theAdonis ladybird.

Sandy Shaw, Billy Ocean, Henry Akinwande, Sir MalcolmCampbell, Idris Elba and Winston George Ellis have allworked at Dagenham.

The world’s oldest man and one of only two survivingWW1 veteran, 113-year-old Henry Allingham, heldvarious engineering positions at Dagenham until heretired in 1960.

Dagenham's 10 millionth car and Ford's 250 millionthworldwide, a Fiesta, was driven off the line in 1996 byretired boxing champion and local resident Frank Bruno(pictured).

Alex Trotman, Ford Motor Company's first foreign-bornchairman and CEO, started his career at Dagenham.

Dagenham’s who’s who?

The war years – 1939 to 1945

Wild Dagenham

FN 13

Engine design and assembly teams are based under one roof inDDC for maximum cooperation and efficiencies .

Dagenham engines are shipped to Belgium, Germany, France,Italy, Turkey, Russia and Japan.

Tiger engine (1.4 & 1.6) is used by Ford, Mazda and VolvoLion engine (2.7, 3.0 V6 & 3.6 V8) is used by Jaguar, Land Rover,

Peugeot and Citroen.Lynx engine (1.8) powers the UK's best selling car, the Focus, and

is adaptable for marine use.Puma engine (2.0, 2.2 & 2.4) is used by Jaguar, Land Rover and in

commercial vehicles from Ford, Peugeot Citroën and Fiat.

Today, Ford Dagenham covers 475 acres and hasreceived £800 million of investment this decade. It isFord's largest producer of diesel powerplants globally,capable of manufacturing 1.4 million units a year:Tooling and Stamping produce 145,000 panels everyday.

Ford's Dagenham estate includes a £37 millionprivate/public college, the Centre for Engineering andManufacturing Excellence (CEME), led by Ford and theLondon Development Agency.

Dagenham majors in diesel engine design andmanufacture. The Dagenham Diesel Centre (DDC) was a£325 million investment when it was opened in 2003and has the capacity to assemble 1.4 million engines ayear. In 2008 it produced 1,050,000 units.

These powerplants are fitted to 28 different Ford,Jaguar, Land Rover and Peugeot/Citroën models.

Engines are taken from the production lines by on-sitetransport operations for onward delivery by road, railand sea. Railway lines service the site, which boasts adeep water jetty used to load and unload vesselstravelling between Ford plants.

Today the site employs a total of 4,000 people inengine, stamping and transport operations. Fordengineers and production specialists work closelytogether on the development and assembly of dieselengines.

Dagenham plant manager Dave Parker said: "FordDagenham is ideally positioned to give quick and easyaccess to our markets which continue to sustainoperations here after 80 years. Today we're at thecentre of Ford's fuel efficiency drive as exemplified bythe 76mpg diesel engine supplied for the new FordFiesta. Ford Dagenham has a rich manufacturing,economic and social heritage, which has provided thefoundation for its competitive position today."

14 FordNews July/August 2009

Power plant

Dagenham: Dagenham today

DDC by day ... ...and night

Since 1972 only four cars have topped the UK sales charts – they are all Fords. Two were built atDagenham – Fiesta and Cortina – the others are Escort and Focus.

Over 71 years, Dagenham built 10,980,368 cars, trucks and tractors and in its 80 years has produced over 37 million engines.

Air in Dagenham Diesel Centre's production hall is filtered tominimise particles that could interfere with the assembly of thelatest hi-tech diesel engines.

Dagenham's 2.4-litre engine is part of the hybrid technology inLondon's record-breaking new Wrightbus Electrocity single decker.

Dagenham's transport operations import and export 300,000vehicles a year. They also handle the 15 million stampings, suchas vehicle body panels, bonnets and bootlids, and 1.8 millionwheels produced by Dagenham's stamping and toolingoperations.

Dagenham jetty can easily handle ships up to 24,000 tonneswhile transport operations has access to a fleet of 2,000 trailersand uses 10 miles of railway tracks across the Dagenham estatewhich link into the main network.

In an average year shipments of products from FordDagenham to customer plants will cover 50,000 nautical miles.Ford Dagenham's truck trailers cover in excess of 10 millionmiles annually.

Vehicle body panels are shipped to Wales, Belgium, Sweden,Germany, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Russia and the Midlandsin the UK.

Eurostar high speed rail link between St Pancras and theChannel Tunnel travels through the Ford estate before goingunderground to enter London.

Dagenham's eco-friendly policies were recognised by Green-Car-Guide.com with the Greenest Manufacturer of the Year 2008 award.

An early pioneer of recycling, Henry Ford fuelled Dagenham's powerstation by burning London's waste – 2,000 tons per week until 1939.Today, Ford is working with a renewable energy company on a plan touse household waste diverted from landfill turned into a synthetic gas topower its Dagenham estate. Other Dagenham eco-efficient processesprevent over 12,600 tonnes of waste going to landfill.

The use of 'green' renewable vegetable oil for metal working insteadof mineral oil has resulted in over 500,000 litres of oil being saved.

DDC is entirely powered by two wind turbines which can eachgenerate enough energy to power 1,000 homes. Designed by award-winning architect Sir Norman Foster, they stand at 120 metres tall, haveblades measuring 35 metres in length and have avoided over 6,500tonnes of CO2 emissions a year since they went up in 2004. Theapplication for a third turbine is currently going through planningpermission.

Dagenham on the move

High tech

Green Dagenham

80 years in the making

In summary

Fiesta ECOnetic on DDC’s Tigerengine line, which supplies the76.3mpg car’s 1.6-litre TDCi engine

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Every boy’s dream came true for fourtoolmakers and fitters when they spent the daybehind the wheel of a 77-year-old diesellocomotive once used on Ford’s Dagenhamestate. Rail area maintenance fitter Arthur James,and his three friends, Engine Plant toolmakersRoman Bronka, Graham Garner and PaulJackson, have used their educational grantmoney from EDAP to do beginners and thenadvanced railway driving courses on steamengines with the Kent & East Sussex Railway(K&ESR).

In May they drove something different – theformer Ford diesel-electric shunting locomotiveNumber 40, known as ‘The Allen’. They had therun of the ten-and-a-half mile track, with aninstructor, guard and signalman on board – andeveryone got a chance to drive.

Arthur, a keen railway historian, often drives

today’s Ford locos very short distances in and outof Dagenham’s central workshop where they arerepaired, maintained and serviced.

He said: “Trains used to be fun, and drivingthem is pretty straightforward. Once you havemastered forwards, backwards, brake andthrottle – it’s just a case of getting it all in the rightorder. Stations are more complicated, watchingfor signals, but as long as you pay attention towhat they are telling you to do it’s pretty easy.”

The Allen was one of three locos ordered inOxford blue and gold livery in 1932 to transportmaterials and waste to and from Dagenham’snew blast furnace. The locomotives worked for 34years, running 250,000 hours until 1966, whenmany were scrapped. The body of one and theengine of another were saved by K&ESR. Formore information see the charitable company’swebsite www.kesr.org.uk

You may not have heard the namebut Freddie Russo is making animpression on the motorbike racingscene. The 18 year-old started late inthe 2008 season after his firstexperience on two-wheels, a track day,just months before. By the time theSuperclub CB500 championship hadclosed, he was second on the leaderboard after 12 race wins in the seriesand podiums in every race he finished.

This year, the son of Ford Warley foodservices supervisor, Catherine Russo, isgoing strong. Having taken a big stepup the ladder to compete in the MetzlerJunior Superstock 600 series, whichruns alongside the prestigious BritishSuperbike Championship,performances have been drawingattention from even those who’ve seenit all before. “At Thruxton Freddiequalified 9th on the grid and managedto go tenth, seventh, sixth and thenfourth,” said Catherine. “Even thecommentator was getting a bit excitedat this stage.”

Unfortunately, inexperience caughtup with Freddie and he ended up unhurtbut in the barrier. However, he was onlybeaten by a tenth of a second for fastestlap of the race and was one secondbetter than the previous lap record.

He’s now looking for sponsors toback his natural talent and hopes tomake a career of motorsport. “AlthoughI didn’t finish at Thruxton, I know I havethe pace to match the front-runners andcan only hope that I can get the backingto prove it out on the track,” saidFreddie. For more, visithttp://www.freddierusso.co.uk

Homicidal sheepdogs,getting lost and all manner ofailments were part of a 900-mile John O’Groats to Land’sEnd charity bike ride for oneintrepid pair. Dagenhamtoolmakers Rob Middleton andDave Hilton set themselves theconsiderable challenge ofcompleting the epic journey injust nine days.

With what they now realisewas far too little pre-planning,they started to appreciate whatthey had undertaken when the16-hour journey to their startpoint took a car, plane, twotrains and a taxi. Their lowestpoint was on the second day,after Rob developed mildhypothermia after gettingdrenched in freezing wind andrain in the Cairngorms alongthe A9 in Scotland.

Further tests of their mettlecame with heavy rainfall in theLake District, “terrible traffic,and really bad driving” on theway to Preston, going to thewrong Marriot hotel in Bristol,

and having to do 126 miles onthe Bristol-Launceston leg.

However, the pair finallyarrived on schedule at Land’sEnd in 27 degrees C on asunny afternoon.

The secret of Dave’ssuccess was drinking one-and-a-half pints of tonic watereach evening to preventcramp. Rob’s diet was simpler– “whatever was cheap andthree pints of Stella”.

Two weeks on, Dave andRob’s memories of theirexperiences differ. Dave wasstill “elated” by a sense ofachievement, while Rob saidhe felt “strangely anti-climactic”. He said: “It was areal test of mental as well asphysical stamina, and I amglad we stuck to it.”

Both agreed thatcolleagues, and evenstrangers they met en route,had been “incrediblygenerous”. They have raisedalmost £4,000 for theDagenham Macmillan Appeal

and Essex Air Ambulance. And their only photographic

records of the whole trip –except those taken by SteveGowers and Macmillan‘sRachel Gascoigne – weresome shots Dave wanted ofbrown Pennines sheep.

Rachel, who followed thelast leg of their journey, said:“Congratulations to both Roband Dave on their outstandingeffort. I saw for myself just howtough it was for them.

“We are particularly gratefulto Rob who chose to supportMacmillan. The money that heraises will help to bring FordDagenham ever closer toreaching its target of funding aMacmillan nurse.”

Goingloco From left: With ‘The Allen’: Roman Bronka, Paul

Jackson, Arthur James and Graham Garner

The hard way down

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20 FordNews July/August 2009

From the

Toolroom reunion a success A crowd of more than 250 toolmakers past andpresent met up to share archive photos, swapstories and generally reminisce about the olddays. The evening, which was pronounced asuccess by organisers and guests alike will nowbecome an annual event, was the result of astory in Ford News and a Dagenham newsletter.

Last November, to mark DagenhamToolroom’s 50th anniversary, a Ford News storymentioned most archive photos from the plant’spast had been lost. Two toolmakers, JimThompson and Dave Brown, said they wereresearching the old days – and within weekshad been inundated by phone calls and visitsfrom Fordies keen to bridge that gap.

A thousand old photos later, the pair, withtheir supervisor Steve Gowers, decided to holda nostalgia evening where old photos were ondisplay and new ones could be discovered.

With the plant’s shop stewards committeepaying for the raffle, all £1,100 from sales oftickets and CDs of contributed archive photoswent to Dagenham’s Macmillan Appeal.

Guests of honour were four formerapprentice instructors – Dick Thomas, 92, StanWoodford, 90, Jack Waddle, 83, and CharlieMassie, 78. Three former Toolroom managers,

Neil Spence, Brian Coleman and Brian Mead,were among the employees from the Fortiesand Fifties in attendance.

A follow-up reunion is planned for next year.Details via dbrown91@ford.com orjthomp70@ford.com

The oldest person present, former instructorDick Thomas, left, joined Ford in 1940. Formerapprentice Terry Whitehead joined in 1958

From left: Current employees Tony Jackson,Danny Marshall, and Chris Passfield with, behind,Bob Eveling and Vinny Passfield got together

July 1964 and the last tractor, a Fordson Major,to roll off the Dagenham line is driven into thehistory books by line superintendent, GerryKeane. After this, production switched over toBasildon. Although his face is obscured, theman behind the camera to the right is likely tobe ‘Ben’ Bennett, a company photographer whopioneered in-house cine photography atFord. He later also moved to the new Basildontractor plant.

Standing next to the tractor with his armsfolded is Jack Rushton, the then Director ofManufacturing at Dagenham.

Last tractor offthe line

If you have any information or stories relating to this photo, or any Ford-related photos that you would like to share, Ford News would be delighted tohear from you. See page 3 for contact details.

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