PSA reassured workers that its factory in Aulnay won’t close

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA denies press reports that the factory in Aulnay, near Paris, will be shut down in order to boost its competitiveness. The company released a statement to reassure workers that they can still look forward to a future with the company. An internal document was cited by these press reports indicating that production of the C3 subcompact will be shifted from Aulnay to a different plant near Paris.

The company released a statement last Thursday that closing the Aulnay site is not on the Group's agenda, according to Autonews. This document is said to be a preliminary working document drafted almost a year ago that discussed some of its options to be more competitive in Europe. The company said further that this document doesn’t mean that the management board has made a decision. The managing board considers it a responsibility to analyze the issues relating to the economic crisis. [via - 4wheelsnews]

An internal document was earlier released by French labor union CGT that cites a plan by the company to close this plant. At a news conference last Thursday, PSA industrial operations head Denis Martin said that the company never decided to close the plant. He declined to comment on what’s in store for the Aulnay site over the longer term. Le Monde previously reported that the factory has about 3,600 employees. Martin said that he isn’t a “soothsayer” and so he won’t be able to say what the status of the plant would be in the “medium- to long-term.”