Ford Motor Company Nears Completion of $150 Million Expansion in San Thomas, Ontario, in an Advisory by Industrialinfo.com

    HOUSTON--Nov. 9, 2001--The following is an advisory by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources Inc; Houston). Ford of Canada (Oakville, Ontario), a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, Mich.) is expected to complete construction on a $150 million expansion of their San Thomas, Ontario facility in the fall of 2001. Giffels Associates Limited (Toronto) handled plant design and development and Eisenmann Corporation (Crystal Lake, Ill.) was the general contractor for the 90,000 square foot state-of-the-art dip phosphate and electro-coat facility completed earlier this year and the primer booth currently being completed within an existing building. The plant expansion is intended to improve paint quality and corrosion protection on Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis luxury sedans. The benefits of the expanded paint facility will also extend to the 2003 Mercury Marauder, a high performance sedan that goes into production in the spring of 2002.
    Ford established Canadian operations in 1904 and currently has three vehicle assembly plants and three engine manufacturing plants in Canada, where 543 dealerships sell Ford automobiles across the country. The engine plants produced over 1.5 million engines during 2000, of which 70% were exported. Ford also imported over 193,000 vehicles from the U.S. and Mexico into Canada during the year 2000.
    Ford has approximately 335,000 employees worldwide. Last year, revenues for Canadian operations were $24.6 billion. The Saint Thomas Assembly Plant (STAP) began production in 1967 and has consistently been recognized as one of the top manufacturing facilities in North America.
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