Ford's Bridgend Engine plant has produced the 20 Millionth engine, & continues to produce some of best engines in the world.

Ford’s Bridgend Engine Plant (BEP) in Wales has built its 20-millionth engine, 37 years after the first engine was built in September 1979.

Linda Cash, vice president of Manufacturing, Ford of Europe joined Bridgend Engine Plant manager, Ian Pearson, in marking the achievement saying: “Bridgend has a proud record of high-quality engine production and I’m delighted to celebrate this significant milestone with the team that builds them.

“Today the plant builds a range of high-tech EcoBoost products, and we continue to invest in Bridgend, with the plant confirmed to build the next generation of fuel-efficient petrol engines.”

Ford Bridgend currently supplies petrol engines, including EcoBoost products which provide ultra-low emissions, excellent fuel economy, refinement and performance, for a range of Ford vehicles. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost is available in the Ford Focus, Ford Kuga, Ford Mondeo, and Ford S-MAX models. The multi-award winning Ford Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, also built in Bridgend. The plant also supplies six and eight-cylinder engines for premium customers.

An all-new family of technologically-advanced, fuel-efficient petrol engines has been confirmed to be built in Bridgend. With an initial investment of £100 million, production is planned to start in late 2018.

• The Bridgend Engine Plant has benefitted from more than £1.8 billion of investment since it opened in 1980.  It builds six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines for customers and, together with Ford four-cylinder engines, total production is currently 3,400 engines a day, or one every 24 seconds off the busiest line.
• The first engine produced in Bridgend was a CVH petrol engine for the third generation Ford Escort.
• Bridgend’s success has been encouraged through a partnership with the Welsh Government who have committed to maximising the potential of Ford’s own investment.  The Welsh Government supports the plant with an annual grant for training of £50,000.
• Ford Bridgend total production now exceeds 20 million engines and its products power the Ford Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Mondeo models. 

Plant Officially    Opened	May 1980
Number of Employees	1,850
2014 production	701,392 total
Plant size	141,702 sq m on 60 acres
Plant manager	Ian Pearson

Bridgend Engine Facility celebrates two significant milestones for Ford.

Ford’s Bridgend Engine Plant (BEP) in Wales has built its 19-millionth engine, 35 years after production began in May 1980. Earlier this year the Plant also produced its eight-millionth small capacity petrol “Duratec” engine, since ‘job one’ at Bridgend in May 1998.

These two significant landmarks were celebrated by Ford Bridgend’s 2,200-strong workforce, alongside Ford Glasgow 2014 Athlete Ambassador, Aled Davies, whose father has worked at the plant for 35 years. They were joined by Paralympic athlete Nathan Stephens, whose father, Barrie, is also a BEP employee.

Bridgend Engine Plant manager, Ian Pearson, said: “We have a proud record of high-volume engine production at Bridgend, and we’re delighted to celebrate two significant milestones with the team that builds them.

“The Duratec engine has been produced here for 17 years and is exported across the globe. This is built alongside Ford’s very latest technology – our EcoBoost products – which provide ultra-low emissions, excellent fuel economy, refinement and performance.”

Ford Bridgend supplies petrol engines for Ford vehicles around the world, including the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost, available on the new Ford Focus, Ford Kuga, Ford Mondeo, and Ford S-MAX models. The existing 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine used to power the multi-award-winning Ford Fiesta ST is also built at the Plant.

More than 700,000 engines were built at Bridgend last year alone, 80 per cent of which were exported. A large number of these engines are exported across the Atlantic; more than 620,000 engines produced at Bridgend have been exported to the United States and Mexico since production began, with more than 75,000 so far this year*.

Last year a wind turbine was installed at Ford Bridgend, supplying energy directly to the plant. The turbine is capable of supplying up to 1,700 megawatt hours (MWh) per annum.

*As of 30 April 2015