Ford employee Eddie O'Brien celebrates 60-year career

Eddie O'Brien has celebrated 60 years of continuous service at the Ford Dagenham plant in England. Having joined the company as a 16-year-old apprentice in 1966, O'Brien is recognized as the longest-serving Ford employee in Europe.

O'Brien's career spanned several decades of industrial change. He began his training at the Ford Trade School in Harold Hill before working at the River Plant and the Central Repair Garage. Since 1973, he has worked as a Mechanical Maintenance Craftsman in a workshop often referred to by colleagues as ‘Eddie's Shop’.

The milestone coincides with the 95th anniversary of the Dagenham site. While the facility transitioned from a massive vehicle assembly plant—which produced over 11 million vehicles including the Cortina and Fiesta—to a powertrain hub after 2002, O'Brien has remained a constant presence within the factory walls.