Ford Announces Plan For Massive Makeover Of Aging Dearborn Campus

DEARBORN (WWJ) - Ford has announced a big overhaul of its Dearborn headquarters and research facilities.

The whole thing will take about a decade, the auto company said in a news release out Tuesday.

The 10-year transformation of Ford's more than 60-year-old Dearborn facilities will colocate 30,000 employees from 70 buildings today into primarily two locations – a product campus and a world headquarters campus. More than 7.5 million square feet of work space will be rebuilt, Ford says, and upgraded into more technology-enabled and connected facilities.

"As we transition to an auto and a mobility company, we're investing in our people and the tools they use to deliver our vision," said Ford President and CEO Mark Fields. "Bringing our teams together in an open, collaborative environment will make our employees' lives better, speed decision-making and deliver results for both our core and emerging businesses."

Ford says the revamped Dearborn campus will be "a walkable community" —  with paths, trails and covered walkways; along with a new design center, autonomous vehicles, on-demand shuttles, eBikes, new onsite employee services, wireless connectivity speeds up to 10 times faster than today and more green spaces.

A second campus location – around the current Ford World Headquarters building – will feature a new Ford Credit facility and provide onsite employee services, improved connectivity and enhanced accessibility to the expansive green space that surrounds the building.

New buildings are planned to reduce energy use by about 50 percent, save water and will include the new zero-waste, zero-energy, zero-water Sustainability Showcase building, Ford says.

Construction is set to begin this month.