Photo: Ford
This is a great day for the Ford Motor Company, having announced a huge investment program in its U.S.-based facilities. More to the point, Ford has confirmed that it will pour a whopping $1.2 billion in three Michigan-based locations.
The biggest chunk of those green dollar bills is allocated to the Michigan Assembly plant. The Blue Oval will commit $850 million for retooling the complex in preparation for the Ranger and Bronco. The 2019 Ranger is confirmed to begin production at the end of 2018. The Jeep Wrangler-rivaling Bronco, however, will start rolling off the line sometime in 2020.
$150 million of those $1.2 billion are spoken for by the Romeo Engine Plant, which plans to create or retain 130 jobs to expand capacity for engine components. Yes, including for the Ranger and Bronco. $200 million will be invested into an advanced data center, which FoMoCo needs to support Ford’s evolution as an auto and mobility company.
The data center is also needed because the Michigan-based company expects data usage to increase 1,000 percent in the coming years. The growth is said to be driven by manufacturing and business needs, plus mobility services such as connected, autonomous, and electrified cars.
“At Ford, we are investing aggressively in building on our strengths today - including trucks, vans, commercial vehicles, performance vehicles and SUVs – while at the same time growing our leadership in electrification, autonomy and mobility services,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “As America’s top producer of automobiles, we are proud to be going even further in our commitment to invest in manufacturing here at home.”
The folks over at UAW-Ford gave the company the thumbs up for these investments, as did federal, state, county and local governments. On an ending note, Ford would like its fans to know that it has invested almost $12 billion in its U.S. plants during the past five years, creating a total of nearly 28,000 U.S. jobs.
$150 million of those $1.2 billion are spoken for by the Romeo Engine Plant, which plans to create or retain 130 jobs to expand capacity for engine components. Yes, including for the Ranger and Bronco. $200 million will be invested into an advanced data center, which FoMoCo needs to support Ford’s evolution as an auto and mobility company.
The data center is also needed because the Michigan-based company expects data usage to increase 1,000 percent in the coming years. The growth is said to be driven by manufacturing and business needs, plus mobility services such as connected, autonomous, and electrified cars.
“At Ford, we are investing aggressively in building on our strengths today - including trucks, vans, commercial vehicles, performance vehicles and SUVs – while at the same time growing our leadership in electrification, autonomy and mobility services,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “As America’s top producer of automobiles, we are proud to be going even further in our commitment to invest in manufacturing here at home.”
The folks over at UAW-Ford gave the company the thumbs up for these investments, as did federal, state, county and local governments. On an ending note, Ford would like its fans to know that it has invested almost $12 billion in its U.S. plants during the past five years, creating a total of nearly 28,000 U.S. jobs.
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