US carmaker Ford will start the gradual resumption of vehicle and engine production at its factories in Europe on May 4.

Both the automobile and engine sections of the Ford plant in Craiova, southern Romania, will resume activity on May 4, Profit.ro reported.

The factories will initially operate in a single shift, with all necessary sanitary protection measures for employees. Production will start gradually, giving priority to customer orders, and will increase in the next few months, until its complete resumption, the company says.

The Ford factories in Germany and, partly, Spain will resume operations in the first wave. The company hasn't announced a calendar for its factories in the UK yet.

"Once we get past the initial peak of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, we need to prepare for the new context. The top priority of our 'return to work' plan is to implement Ford's global standards on social distancing and strengthen health and safety protocols in the workplace. Our employees need to know that we are doing everything we can to protect their health," said Ford Europe President Stuart Rowley.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Media.ford.com)