Ford to start $773 million plant expansion in Michigan in 2013

Six facilities to get new equipment, technology; 2,350 jobs created

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Ford Motor Company is spending more than $773 million on new equipment and capacity expansions across six manufacturing facilities in southeast Michigan as it delivers on a commitment to invest $6.2 billion in U.S. plants by 2015.

The investments in Michigan will create 2,350 new hourly jobs and allow the company to retain an additional 3,240 hourly jobs. The 2,350 new positions are part of the 12,000 hourly jobs that Ford is adding across the U.S. by 2015.

“Even as we wrap up an incredibly busy year of capacity expansions and product launches, we are continuing to look to the future,” said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president of North America Manufacturing. “These investments, many of which are already under way, will ensure our southeast Michigan manufacturing facilities can support our aggressive growth plans.”

Expansion work at several plants started earlier this year to increase Ford’s capacity to provide transmissions and axles to support growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles and F-Series pickup trucks.

In addition, over the next six months Ford will bring a new stamping press on line at Michigan Assembly Plant; install equipment for four new stamping presses at Dearborn Stamping Plant; and finish expansion work at Flat Rock Assembly Plant to produce the new Fusion next year.

Specifically, Ford is making investments at the following locations: 

• Michigan Assembly Plant - $59.4 million for stamping press line expansion
• Dearborn Stamping Plant -$305 million for plant modernization, new press lines, scrap conveyor system and other machinery and equipment
• Flat Rock Assembly - $161 million for machinery and equipment to assemble the new Ford Fusion and as an additional production facility
• Sterling Axle Plant - $86 million for machinery and equipment investment to meet axle demand increase and future model changes
• Van Dyke Transmission - $87.7 million for machinery and equipment investment to meet capacity expansions for 6F35 and 6F50 transmissions
• Livonia Transmission - $74.7 million for machinery and equipment investment for transmission expansion and test equipment 

Source: Ford Motor Company.