A Big Change For A Ford Factory

by Jeff Gilbert
WWJ AutoBeat Reporter

The plant that once cranked out Ford's biggest SUV's, has been converted into a factory that will build some of the company's most fuel efficient vehicles.

A $550 million project has turned the Michigan Truck Plant into Michigan Assembly, which will start as the home of the new Ford Focus…but will also make electric vehicles and hybrids.

"We're going to implement some very unique, innovative and inventive solutions to allow us to build multiple vehicles on one line," said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president of North America Manufacturing.

Ford showing reporters the three miles of assembly line, plus quality check areas, and state of the art equipment.

"This new paint shop will have 66 robots, doing paint and body sealing on vehicles," said Tetrault. "It becomes our most technically advanced paint system in Ford Motor company."

Those advancements, Tetrault says, will allow for greater quality. The plant is currently shifting from building pre-production models of the Focus, to building production ready vehicles that will go on sale early next year.

The Focus had been made at Wayne Assembly next door. It build it's last vehicle early this month, with Ford not giving any specifics of its future. When the workers return on January 3rd, they'll report to the new Michigan Assembly Plant.

The electric version of the Focus will go on sale in late 2012. It will also be made on the same line. Ford not announcing other products…but the plant has been set up to make other electric vehicles, conventional hybrids and plug in hybrids.

"For many years, I've had this vision of a green Ford Motor Company," says Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. "But, the technology didn't really exist to deliver a no trade-off vehicle before. But, we now have that."

The upgrades include a 500 kilowatt solar power station, which will provide some of the facilities electricity. They've also made a number of ergonomic changes, to put less stress on the people building the cars.

"When you were working on a car on the old lines we use to have, you had to walk while working," said Chris Byrne, final engineering assembly manager. "Whereas, these, where you're working now, the skillet is moving you along, and you're not walking. So, it's less physically fatiguing."

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