Last Friday, April 28, 2023, Ford completed the sale of its former factory located in Taubaté.
A San Jose Real Estate Development is the new owner of the 830.000 m² property and announced that the area will be used for the industrial activities of the Vicunha-CSN group, through an agreement signed between CSN and São José. Although the value of the transaction has not been disclosed, the company confirmed that the sale was completed.
Despite this, the situation at the factory located in Camaçari has not yet been resolved. The transaction for this other factory has been under negotiation with the Chinese BYD for almost a year and so far has not been completed.
Although in early March 2023, information was leaked suggesting that the transaction was already closed, Ford released a statement denying the fact. Expectations increased when the Minister of Labor, Luiz Marinho, and the Governor of the State of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT), used their social networks to convey optimistic messages about the resumption of activities in Camaçari.
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This situation was highlighted even by the delegation of the President of the Republic, during a recent visit to China.
However, sources involved in the negotiations emphasize that the situation is no longer a price dispute. According to the press, the parties have already reached a balance on the value, but the other additional demands from the Chinese are making the final settlement difficult. It remains to be seen what the outcome of these negotiations will be and what the future of factory in Camaçari.
Since January 2021, the deactivation of Ford in Brazil involves a soap opera with several stages. Currently, the multinational maintains the vehicle commercialization area and an engineering research center with local activities for the export of automotive technology. The sale of the factory in Taubaté and the open situation of factory in Camaçari affect not only the Ford, but the entire production chain behind the automotive industry.
The prospects of factory workers are uncertain about their jobs. Meanwhile, businessmen linked to the sector seek to deal with the instability of the market created by constant changes in the industrial policy implemented by the company.
The automobile industry has a great weight in Brazil's GDP, and the deactivation of Ford in the country contributes to a scenario of economic uncertainties regarding the future of this important sector of the economy
O factory closings it has direct impacts on tax collection, on the labor market and on the production chain in general. It is essential that solutions are found as soon as possible to guarantee the stability and strengthening of the Brazilian economy.
It is important to highlight that, currently, many companies are increasingly looking for national suppliers and are investing in new technologies aimed at sustainability and innovation, which can boost the National market and help overcome these challenges. Ford should communicate the next steps in relation to the Camaçari factory soon, promoting possible new perspectives for the automotive sector in the country.