Ford has become the latest automotive manufacturer to close one of its European assembly plants. The facility located in the Belgian city of Genk has been in operation since the early 1960s.

As part of the plan first announced over two years ago, the Genk Body and Assembly Plant is now closing its doors after half a century in the business and over fourteen million vehicles built. The plant itself employed some 5,000 workers, but taking into account the suppliers built up around the plant, the overall impact on employment in the area edges closer to 12,000.

Genk Body and Assembly had until recently been tasked with producing the Ford Fusion as well as the S-Max and Galaxy models. Production of the Mondeo shifted in 2013 to the company's plant in Valencia, Spain, which also handles the Kuga crossover and Transit Connect cargo van, and will soon take over the remaining models from Genk as well.

The move follows a similar decision undertaken by General Motors to close the Opelwerk plant in Bochum, Germany. It also reflects a scaling down of automobile production in Belgium specifically. Opel closed its plant in Antwerp in 2000 and Renault ceased production in Vilvoorde back in 1997. On a brighter note, Audi still manufacturers in Brussels and Volvo in Ghent.