Proactive Investors - Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has warned of disruption in its UK supply network after the company’s distribution centre in Daventry was forced to temporarily shut.
Genuine Ford parts for repairs will be rerouted through Cologne, Germany and Valencia, Spain, the carmaker said on Tuesday, after the site was shut following the discovery of asbestos.
“This means that parts which can be supplied from those locations will be shipped to the UK and Ireland, although this will result in extended lead time,” a spokesperson said.
All stock replenishment orders, for the likes of independent repairers, fleets and franchised workshops, have also been temporarily suspended.
A survey last week found pieces of cement at the site contained white asbestos, which was banned in the UK in 1999 and can be harmful if disturbed or damaged.
Operations at the site have been suspended as a result, with Ford noting external specialists had been brought in to deal with the asbestos.
Ford’s Daventry site operates alongside production sites at Halewood and Dagenham to support the car maker’s UK supply chain.
The company added work was taking place to “mitigate the implications” of the closure.