Ford: the American industrial arrival in Andalucía

Inventor Henry Ford succeeded by introducing methods of large-scale automobile production and managing the production labour force through elaborate process operations typical of moving assembly lines. These methods were known worldwide as Fordism.

After the end of the First World War, the American firm decided to establish a base of operations in Southern Europe and North Africa. Henry Ford sent several of his technicians to Spain in search of the ideal location to set up his factory. In all likelihood, Spain was chosen after successful car sales at the first commercial agency established in Barcelona in 1907, where some 200 cars were sold a year after opening.

Not surprisingly, the American envoys suggested Barcelona, but they also advised the businessman to look at Cadiz. By that time, the large Andalusian port had excellent maritime communications, which would facilitate the transport of first the parts and then the assembled cars.

In the end, the choice was made personally by Henry Ford, who preferred Cadiz for the location of his first plant in Spain. The Catalan capital yielded to the Andalusian port, despite its proximity to the rest of Europe. Apparently, the Americans were frightened by labour unrest and strikes of workers, which often took place in Barcelona.

The site chosen for the Ford plant in Cadiz was a coastal area called La Segunda Aguada, with warehouses that had been used by companies associated with the wine trade since the 19th century. In May 1919, Arthur Lloyd Davies was appointed director of the Cadiz plant. At first, specialised staff were drawn from other Ford plants, but over time workers from Cadiz also became involved in production.

The emergence of the Cadiz plant was protected by the tax incentives associated with the presence of Depósito Franco de Cádiz (the forerunner of what in 1929 became the Cadiz Free Trade Zone).

The company's mission at Cadiz was to assemble vehicles from parts it obtained from a factory in the United States and to build bodies from materials it purchased in Spain. In 1920, the Cadiz plant began assembling about 30 automobiles per day of the Ford T model, which was considered a revolution in the fledgling automotive world of the time. It is reported that a Sedan model was also produced in the Andalusian city. In addition, based on the Model T, Ford's Cadiz plant assembled trucks and tractors, which were sold mainly to Irish farmers.

As production in Cadiz met the company's expectations and managed to avoid labour conflicts, there were even plans to expand the plant. However, Henry Ford had to resort to Plan B and move production to Barcelona. Financial conflict between Ford and Depósito Franco de Cádiz, strong support for the move from the central government, and a shortage of skilled labour in the province were cited as reasons for closing the plant in Andalucía.

The last Ford car of the more than 10,000 produced in Andalucía was the Model T Torpedo. In 1923, the Ford Motor Ibérica plant was opened in Barcelona, which for many years was the main lung of the newborn Zona Franca until its closure in 1954.

In January 1974, the town of Almussafes in the Valencia region was chosen as the new location for Ford's production in Spain. On 26 March 1974, Henry Ford II, the eldest grandson of Henry Ford, laid the foundation stone for the plant - Ford Valencia Body and Assembly (VB&A). This was the beginning of the American manufacturer's return to Spain.