Ford of Europe vice president McCall: Road & rail infrastructure improvement would benefit entire country

Andrew McCall, Ford of Europe vice president for government and community relations, said on Friday at the company's Craiova facility that the improvement of the local road and rail infrastructure would benefit not only the company, rendering procurement and motor vehicle delivery activities easier, but it would also contribute to the future development of the region and would benefit the whole country.

Today's visit to Craiova [by PM Orban] has allowed us to present Mr. Prime Minister and his team our updated business plans and, of course, to discuss some of the subjects that are key to our operations in Craiova. With the rising production volumes, it is essential that we bring components and deliver vehicles efficiently. Therefore, it's no surprise that the main topic of discussion was infrastructure and the progress made with road and rail transport. To Ford, the two road projects of interest are, of course, the Craiova - Pitesti expressway and the Sibiu - Pitesti motorway. (...) I also discussed with Mr. Prime Minister the importance of completing these projects on time. Yet road improvements are just one element of the general picture, railways are also particularly important, and here I would like to emphasize the need for a rapid rehabilitation of rail connections. These changes are necessary not just for Ford, but also for the entire supplier base in the southern part of Romania. ... We know that the implementation of all these projects would support the future development of the region and would benefit the entire country, said the Ford of Europe vice president.

Ford's investments in the Craiova plant have doubled since 2008, reaching almost 1.5 billion euros and over 3,400 new jobs have been created here in the last three years. Throughout this time, we appreciated the open dialogue and the support we have received from the national and local governments, and we wish this positive cooperation to continue. (...) The history of Ford in Romania dates back to the '30s. (...) We value our legacy and we want to continue our journey based on these strong roots. At the same time, we want to do great things for our employees in Craiova and for the entire Romanian automotive industry, said Andrew McCall.