• Production at Ford’s Brazilian and Argentine manufacturing facilities will be temporarily suspended
• Decision taken in response to the growing impact of the coronavirus in South America
• Action will additionally help reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus while maximizing the health of our business

SÃO PAULO, Brazil, March 19, 2020 – Ford Motor Company will temporarily suspend production at its manufacturing sites in Brazil – Camaçari (BA), Taubaté (SP) and Troller’s plant in Horizonte (Ceará) – and at the Pacheco plant in Argentina, in response to the growing impact of the coronavirus in South America. Effective from March 23 in Brazil and March 25 in Argentina, this action aims specially to keep employees safe and help limit the spread of the virus, as well to adjust the production volumes to the lower consumer demand due to this unprecedented situation.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, Ford has taken all possible measures to minimize the impact of coronavirus, including asking all employees to work remotely unless they are performing a business-critical job that requires being onsite, limiting visitors to the plants, and increasing the frequency of cleaning at the company’s facilities, among others.

“Ford’s top priority is always the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. This action will additionally help reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus while maximizing the health of our business during this challenging time for the entire economy”, said Lyle Watters, president, Ford South America.

In Brazil, the temporary suspension at the Camaçari (BA), Taubaté (SP) and Troller’s plants in Horizonte (CE) will be effective from March 23. The plants are scheduled to restart on April 13, and Camaçari will resume operations working from three to two shifts. In Argentina, production at the Pacheco plant will be halted from March 25, and operations are scheduled to restart on April 6.

“In these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to put our people first,” added Watters. “We will continue working closely with our unions and other local partners to explore additional protocols and procedures to help prevent the virus dissemination and define new, work practices for our plant restart plans, based on what we’ve learned.”