Photo: Jim Farely | X
Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant has just turned one century old. The facility seems to be one steady place to work in. There are employees who have been working there for 50 years or more, and it seems that robots can't replace them.
12600 S Torrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. That is the place where automotive history has been in the making for the past one hundred years. The factory started operating on March 3, 1924, which is a century and ten days ago. The first car to roll off the assembly line in Chicago was the Ford Model T. In 1928, the factory switched to the production of the Model A.
During World War II, the facility went through a conversion and switched to building M8 Greyhound and M20 Armored Utility Cars for the Armed Forces of the US. For the next 40 years, the Ford plant in Chicago built pickup trucks. In 1985, Ford sent the Taurus and the Mercury Sable sedans plans for the employees to make them happen.
The manufacturing center underwent a massive overhaul in 2004 when Ford invested $400 million to modernize it. To set the grounds for a comprehensive supply network, nine automotive suppliers built factories in the vicinity of the Ford plant, thus saving time and money that they would have otherwise spent on shipping the products.
Rumors yet unconfirmed claim that the factory will be converted into an EV-only manufacturing facility, progressively ditching the production of internal combustion engines.
Ford is currently producing two electric passenger cars: it is the Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover and the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck, with the intention of expanding the zero-emission lineup.
Right now, the Ford Explorer, the Police Interceptor Utility, and the Lincoln Aviator see the light of day at the factory in Chicago. As of August 2023, there are 4,852 people working at the site that spans over 113 acres of land, most of them paid per hour.
Jim Farley marked the 100th anniversary with two posts on X, pointing out that Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant is the longest continuously running Ford plant in the United States. The carmaker CEO thanked the employees for being a part of Ford's history.
And it is not just the one-century-old plant that is worth celebrating. Jim Farley posted a photo of five of the seven employees who have been working at the Chicago Assembly Plant for 50 years or more. “Philip Pryor, Johnny Weems, Hugh Ferguson, William Julian, Jeff Wiancek - thank you for all you do at Ford,” Farley wrote in the caption of the photo.
Elon Musk saw the post and rushed in to congratulate Ford. “Thanks, Elon!” Jim Farley promptly replied on X.
During World War II, the facility went through a conversion and switched to building M8 Greyhound and M20 Armored Utility Cars for the Armed Forces of the US. For the next 40 years, the Ford plant in Chicago built pickup trucks. In 1985, Ford sent the Taurus and the Mercury Sable sedans plans for the employees to make them happen.
The manufacturing center underwent a massive overhaul in 2004 when Ford invested $400 million to modernize it. To set the grounds for a comprehensive supply network, nine automotive suppliers built factories in the vicinity of the Ford plant, thus saving time and money that they would have otherwise spent on shipping the products.
Rumors yet unconfirmed claim that the factory will be converted into an EV-only manufacturing facility, progressively ditching the production of internal combustion engines.
Ford is currently producing two electric passenger cars: it is the Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover and the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck, with the intention of expanding the zero-emission lineup.
Right now, the Ford Explorer, the Police Interceptor Utility, and the Lincoln Aviator see the light of day at the factory in Chicago. As of August 2023, there are 4,852 people working at the site that spans over 113 acres of land, most of them paid per hour.
Jim Farley marked the 100th anniversary with two posts on X, pointing out that Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant is the longest continuously running Ford plant in the United States. The carmaker CEO thanked the employees for being a part of Ford's history.
And it is not just the one-century-old plant that is worth celebrating. Jim Farley posted a photo of five of the seven employees who have been working at the Chicago Assembly Plant for 50 years or more. “Philip Pryor, Johnny Weems, Hugh Ferguson, William Julian, Jeff Wiancek - thank you for all you do at Ford,” Farley wrote in the caption of the photo.
Elon Musk saw the post and rushed in to congratulate Ford. “Thanks, Elon!” Jim Farley promptly replied on X.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of @Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant! CAP is the longest continuously running Ford plant in the U.S. So much Ford history has been made here… from Model Ts in 1924 to Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators in 2024! Thank you to the nearly 5K team… pic.twitter.com/jpn0tPVYgG
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) March 12, 2024
Another important moment at CAP’s 100th celebration. These gentlemen are 5 of the 7 employees with 50 years or more at Chicago Assembly Plant! Philip Pryor, Johnny Weems, Hugh Ferguson, William Julian, Jeff Wiancek - thank you for all you do at @Ford! #WeAreFord https://t.co/w3QUdUH7GL pic.twitter.com/kvps77oXnA
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) March 12, 2024
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