THE Ford Motor Company is to invest £34 million sterling in the expansion of its Belfast plant, creating 55 jobs over the next five years.

Northern Ireland's Industrial Development Board is giving grant aid of £4.6 million towards the expansion and the multinational will extend the manufacture of existing engine components and develop new products.

The announcement was made yesterday by the North's Economy Minister, Baroness Denton. She said that the company, the world's second-largest car manufacturer, had invested more than £100 million in Belfast in the past decade. Two years ago the company invested £15 million to produce a range of components which at the time were new to the Belfast plant.

Ford had developed the plant, in south Belfast, into "a centre of excellence in the design and manufacturing of high quality components for fuel systems used in cars for both the European and North American markets.

The Belfast plant, which employs 630 people, is part of Ford's electrical and fuel handling division. The factory makes components such as fuel rails, oil pumps and water pumps for a range of engines.

Ford's plant manager, Mr Jim Collins, said the investment was "another substantial vote of confidence in the quality and commitment of the entire workforce in Belfast".