Camaçari, in Bahia, is preparing to welcome new owners to the former Ford factory.

By Vitor Nuzzi, from RBA Two years after the announcement of the closure of Ford, the main factory in the region, Camaçari (BA) is expected to host a major event by the end of the month to celebrate the arrival of BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer. The company will set up shop precisely in the Ford area. Although production and the number of jobs to be created will be lower, the news brings relief to the municipality, which has been experiencing a period of devastation since the departure of the American automaker.

The official announcement has not yet been made. A ceremony is planned with the presence of the governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues, the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, former governor, and possibly President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The arrival of a large company, after years of negative news, is seen as an opportunity for the beginning of a recovery in the economy and industry.

Units in Brazil

BYD already has operations in Brazil. It arrived in 2015 with an electric bus factory in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo state. It opened a second one (modules) in the same city in 2017, and three years later created a battery unit in the Manaus Industrial Park. It has monorail projects in Salvador and São Paulo.

“Everyone was without job prospects. With this opportunity, the story changes,” says Júlio Bonfim, former president of the Camaçari Metalworkers Union and advisor to the organization. He worked for Ford from 2002 until its closure. When that happened, he recalls, a “development committee” was created – with government, business owners, and workers – to attract companies to the region. This included visits to diplomatic representations, such as those of India and Japan, as well as China itself.

The closure brought "chaos".

The city as a whole, and the workers in particular, would go through difficult times. "It wasn't worse because of the R$1 billion agreement (between compensation and severance pay). So, the city was financially active for a year. Many businesses closed, it was chaos," recalls the metalworker.

Thus, many laid-off workers tried to live off rental income, others opened businesses, and others became Uber drivers. "Many are still without options. The money has run out and now they're desperate, at their wits' end. I know many like that," he reports.

End of operations in Brazil

And it wasn't just Camaçari. Around the same time, on January 11, 2021, Ford announced the closure of its factories in Taubaté (SP) and Horizonte (CE). Two years earlier, it had already ceased operations in São Bernardo do Campo. "That was the beginning of the problems, it was already a warning sign," comments Júlio. With impacts throughout the entire production chain, as estimated by Dieese.

He considers that the future factory will be far from having the size of Ford's. The union leader estimates "at most" a thousand direct workers at the Camaçari unit. According to Júlio, there were 3.600, reaching 4.500 with the administrative staff. Including suppliers (called "system integrators," who are located on-site), up to 8. With outsourced workers, the total could reach 12, according to the former employee's calculations.

But the area is well preserved and practically all the machinery is still there, says Júlio. “What was removed was from the auto parts companies. But all the Ford equipment is still there.” However, adaptations will be necessary for the production of electric vehicles. The metalworker says he doesn't usually go to the site to avoid sadness. “I went to the assembly building, I felt like crying, it's horrible.” Now he intends to return, with the resumption of operations, “to see if the atmosphere is better.”