Ford opens new era at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, source of 1,200 new jobs

September 10, 2012

Ford opens new era at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, source of 1,200 new jobs

10.9.12

Wheelsology

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Ford Motor Company and its employees are opening a new era at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, complete with a new name, 1,200 additional hourly jobs coming next year and plans to produce the 2013 Ford Fusion mid-size sedan.

"The new Flat Rock Assembly
Plant symbolises the growth driven by our One Ford plan," said Mark Fields, Ford President of The Americas. "Ford continues investing in people, products and plants to deliver the head-turning, fuel-efficient, fun-to-drive vehicles people really want, including the all-new Fusion."

Previously known as AutoAlliance International, Flat Rock Assembly is now under the full management control of Ford. The plant continues to be owned by a joint-venture that is split 50/50 between Ford and Mazda Motor Corp.

Following the end of Mazda6 production last month, the plant will continue to produce the Mustang before adding Fusion next year.

Flat Rock Assembly will be the US producer of Fusion, employing 2,900 workers on both vehicle lines.

In addition to adding 1,200 new hourly jobs tied to Fusion production, Ford also is investing US$ 555-million to build a state-of-the-art, fully flexible body shop capable of producing multiple vehicles. With each new major plant program, Ford is significantly increasing the flexibility of its equipment and facilities to build multiple vehicles at one location. By 2015, Ford will be able to produce 25 per cent more derivatives per plant versus 2011 on a global basis.

Ford also is upgrading the plant's paint shop with an environmentally friendly 3-Wet paint process. The 3-Wet process, which Ford is rolling out across more than 15 assembly plants globally, allows three layers of paint to be applied one after another while still wet, with less manual intervention, resulting in a superior product created with fewer pollutants and less expense.

"By fully incorporating Flat Rock Assembly into our manufacturing system, we are able to take advantage of internal efficiencies that will streamline our ability to produce vehicles," said Jim Tetreault, Ford Vice-President of North America Manufacturing. "This is critical as we increase our capacity to meet growing customer demand for our products."

Introduced six years ago, Fusion is part of the fastest-growing segment in the US this year – mid-size sedans. Ford expects the mid-size sedan segment, which totaled 2.1-million vehicles in 2011, to continue growing. Fusion's share of the segment has doubled to 12 per cent since it was introduced, and the car has set sales records in five of the first seven months of this year.

On sale this fall, the 2013 Fusion offers customers the power of choice with the broadest selection of fuel-efficient powertrains in the mid-size car segment – two EcoBoost-powered gasoline engines, a normally aspirated four-cylinder engine, a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Fusion Hybrid's 47 city mpg beats the 2012 Camry Hybrid LE by 4 mpg in the city. The Fusion Energi's MPGe of 100 tops the 2013 Volt's by 2 MPGe.

Fusion also offers consumers seven must-have technologies, including a Lane-Keeping System, adaptive cruise control, active park assist and MyFord Touch.

Opened in 1987 as Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA, the plant in Flat Rock first produced the Mazda MX-6. In 1992, Ford purchased a 50 per cent share in the plant and it was renamed AutoAlliance International. Over the years, the plant produced the Mazda 626, Mazda6, Mercury Cougar and Ford Probe. Mustang production was shifted to the plant in 2005.