New Plant Manager For Ford Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM – Dec 14, 2011: Ford’s former Bridgend engine production manager, John Oldham, has been appointed as the new plant manager at Ford Southampton, UK home of the Ford Transit.

John Oldham started his Ford career as an electrician at the Bridgend plant in Wales in 1980. He subsequently held various manufacturing roles within Ford before this latest move to Southampton.

On his new appointment John said: "I am excited about joining the great team at Southampton and looking forward to being a part of its future. It is a real privilege to be associated with one of the world’s best known commercial vehicle brands, and to work at a plant with such a proud history."

John, who lives with his wife and two children in West Wales, succeeds Thomas Fischer who left the company earlier in the year.

Ford Southampton builds around 30,000 Ford Transit vans a year and employs more than 600 staff. The next generation Transit chassis cab will be built at Southampton when production of the current generation model finishes.

The Transit van is Ford’s third best-selling vehicle in the UK after Fiesta and Focus, and continues to lead the CV market in the UK.