Production volumes double for Halewood Transmission's six-speed gearbox

Halewood Transmission Plant is gearing up to double the number of transmissions built for the Ford Transit, thanks to a new £8 million investment.

Ford Motor Company Ltd and Getrag Ford Transmissions, joint owners of the Merseyside plant, announced the news to employees today. By mid- 2007 they will produce 130,000 of the MT82 six-speed gearbox for Ford Motor Company rear-wheel-drive vehicles.

John McDonald, Getrag Ford's manufacturing vice president, visited the plant to confirm continued increased MT82 demand. Production is already rising steeply – scheduled to reach 65,000 units a year by the middle of 2006.

"This high quality six-speed gearbox from Halewood coupled to the latest Ford Transit common-rail diesel engine is a winning combination," said John. "Today's good news for Halewood demonstrates our confidence in the plant's development and reflects the team's ability to adopt modern working practices as well as embrace change."

In September Halewood Transmission was named Best Engineering Plant in Britain by Cranfield University and Works Management magazine. The plant employs 730 people turning out a total of 500,000 transmissions a year. Halewood's other products are fitted to Ford Transit, Fiesta and Fusion models.

Halewood Transmission has been part of the 50/50 Getrag Ford joint venture since 2001.