Ford May Move Jaguar Engine Work

Friday, November 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CLEVELAND (AP) â€” Ford Motor Co. is in talks with the United Auto Workers concerning moving assembly of Jaguar engines out of its Cleveland-area plant, a Ford spokesman said Friday.

About 1,670 people work at Ford Engine Plant No. 2 in suburban Brook Park. Most are involved in producing Ford's Duratec V-6 engine. There also is a line employing about 200 for S-Type and the new X-Type Jaguar engines.

Ford spokesman Nick Sharkey said a final decision on whether to relocate the Jaguar engine production will not be made until three or four months.

Sharkey said he could not disclose where the Jaguar engine production might be sent and declined comment on a report Friday in The Plain Dealer that the production will likely go England, where Jaguars are made.

Huck Granakis, United Auto Workers Local 1250 building chairman at the plant, said Ford officials told him the major problem with the local production is the cost of shipping the Jaguar engines to England.

Sharkey said that in June about 200 additional workers will be needed for added production of the Jaguar X-Type engine.

Even if the Jaguar engine jobs leave the Cleveland-area plant, there should still be jobs for any Jaguar engine workers left behind, Sharkey said.

``Ford is committed to Cleveland, and we're working to make sure we keep the same level of work force regardless of what's decided about the Jaguar engine,'' Sharkey said.