Brazil's Sao Paulo state to seek buyer for Ford plant slated for closure
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SAO PAULO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The governor of Brazil's Sao Paulo state said on Thursday he would help Ford Motor Co find a buyer for its oldest plant in the country, which is slated to be closed this year as part of the automaker's global reorganization.
Ford said this week that the decision to shutter the plant, which employs some 3,000 workers, came after "months of pursuing viable alternatives, including possible partnerships and a sale of the operation."
“The clear solution to keep the jobs is to sell the plant,” said recently elected Governor Joao Doria. “We are going to try to sell it under new circumstances, under a new pro-business state government, which is different from the one Ford was working with when they first tried.”
Brazil is South America's largest auto industry hub, which is still recovering from a deep recession. While many global auomakers have operations here, production for the largest is far below capacity.
(Reporting By Marcelo Rochabrun Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Dan Grebler)
