Ford downsizing will cut deeper than expected - 01/21/06 - The Detroit News

Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. will unveil a restructuring plan Monday that calls for closing at least 10 assembly and component plants and eliminating 25,000 to 30,000 hourly jobs in North America within five years, according to people familiar with the plan.

The cuts, first reported by The Detroit News on Dec. 7, would be deeper than many had expected, signaling the urgency of Chairman and CEO Bill Ford Jr.'s push to restore the automaker's ailing North American operations.

Bill Ford has promised the impending moves will affect all levels of the company. As such, the automaker will announce plans to reduce the number of top executives on Monday. One of those will be sales and marketing vice president Steve Lyons.

The broad outlines of Ford's plan -- dubbed the "way forward" -- were approved last month by Ford’s board of directors.

Ford downsizing will cut deeper than expected - 01/21/06 - The Detroit News