Peter Palmer: Ford Invests $1.6 Billion in U.S. Plants

Ford Motor Company is investing $1.6 billion to upgrade manufacturing plants in Michigan and Ohio. The $1.4 billion for the Livonia Transmission Plant and $200 million for the Ohio Assembly Plant are part of the $9 billion pledged during the 2015 UAW-Ford collective bargaining agreement.

“I am thrilled that through our collective bargaining with Ford we were able to secure a substantial investment for the communities of Southeast Michigan and Northeast Ohio,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW Vice president, National Ford Department.

The investment is expected to create or retain 650 hourly jobs in the United States. In the past five years, Ford has invested $12 billion in its U.S. plants, creating nearly 28,000 jobs.

“We are proud that Ford employs more hourly workers and builds more vehicles in the United States than any other automaker,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford President, The Americas. “We are committed to manufacturing in the United States, as we have been for more than 100 years.”

500 hourly jobs in Michigan at the Livonia Transmission Plant will either be created or retained to build a new 10-speed transmission starting in June. The transmission will be introduced in the all-new F-150 Raptor and certain F-150 models. The six-speed transmission for the Mustang, F-150, Transit, and Expedition is also built in Livonia.

The Livonia Transmission Plant employs more than 1,500 people.

At the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, 150 hourly jobs will be utilized to build the Super Duty chassis cab. The plant began building F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty chassis cab configurations earlier this year. The plant also produces the F-650 and F-750, as well as the E-Series cutaway vans and stripped chassis.

The Ohio Assembly Plant employs more than 1,600 people.

“The men and women of both Livonia Transmission and Ohio Assembly have shown a great commitment to manufacturing quality products, and we look forward to their continued success,” Settles said.

Ford has committed to a total of 8,500 hourly jobs in the U.S. during the next four years in communities across Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and Ohio.

*Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.