New York - Ford Motor Co will more than halve its number of suppliers, the second-largest US carmaker said Friday.

In a bid to control costs, by the end of the year Ford will work with 850 partners down from 1,700 at the beginning of the year. It plans to eventually cut the number of global suppliers to 750 as part of its longstanding restructuring plans.

Last year, Ford worked with 2,200 suppliers.(dpa)