| By: Brad Nevin | Ford
Communications Network |
CHICAGO, Aug. 12,
2004 -- After a major investment in renovation and retooling,
Ford Motor Company's Chicago Assembly Plant has unveiled its
new flexible manufacturing system with the production of three
distinct models built off one vehicle platform.
Opened in 1924, Chicago Assembly is Ford's oldest operating
plant in the world. Today, it uses the industry's latest
technology in machine tooling and processes to build the
all-new 2005 Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle and Mercury
Montego.
With its flexible body shop and final assembly area, the plant
can employ the new flexible tooling to quickly change over and
build up to eight different models off two vehicle platforms.
"Chicago Assembly sets a new standard in today's fiercely
competitive market," said Greg Smith, executive vice president
and president of the Americas, Ford Motor Company. "The
flexible manufacturing system installed here means we can
respond quickly to changes in customer demand and do so
efficiently."
The all-new 2005 Ford Five
Hundred reinvents the family car by marrying the body of a
contemporary sedan to an all-new vehicle architecture. The
unique combination results in an upscale four-door midsize
sedan. Five Hundred features a unique upright Command Seating™
driving position, flexible storage space, the available
all-wheel-drive capability of an SUV, and the comfort and
drivability of a five-passenger sedan.
The 2005 Ford Freestyle is an innovative, purpose-built
crossover vehicle designed to change the automotive landscape
with the right package, the right powertrain and the right
price when it hits the market in the fall. Freestyle blends the
aspirational looks of a sport utility vehicle, the versatility
of a minivan and the confidence of an all-wheel-drive sedan.
The Mercury Montego has a sophisticated, roomy interior and
modern powertrains. The five-passenger Montego gives Mercury a
well-appointed entry in the premium, mid-size sedan segment.
The signature waterfall grille, contrasting metallic surfaces
and unique tailoring continue the distinctive automotive design
vision Edsel Ford set for the brand 65 years ago.
All
three of these new vehicles have dimensions that put them among
the leaders in virtually every category, including
best-in-class headroom and knee room in the second row. Under
the hood, the vehicles feature a refined and smooth Duratec 30
V-6 engine and come available with all-wheel drive.
To build these three new vehicles, approximately $800 million
was invested by Ford Motor Company and its suppliers in the
assembly plant, the supplier manufacturing site and Chicago
Stamping Plant, which provides stampings for Chicago Assembly.
The Mayor's Office of Work Force Development recruited and
trained some 600 new employees of the Chicago Manufacturing
Campus. Total employment at Ford's two Chicago plants and the
supplier campus is 5,600.
"This shows what can happen when business, government and labor
work together," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "We're
creating jobs for the hard-working people of Chicago, improving
the environment, restoring abandoned land to productive use and
solidifying Chicago's position as the nation's number-one
manufacturing center."
Renovation and new technology
installations in Chicago Assembly make the facility Ford's
first flexible manufacturing car plant in North America.
Assembly plants in Norfolk, Va., Kansas City, Mo., and the new
Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Mich., build other Ford
products and are fully flexible plants. The company has
committed to transforming 75 percent of its North American
manufacturing plants into flexible facilities by the end of the
decade.
The 2005 Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle and Mercury Montego
are the first vehicles produced at Chicago under the new
flexible system. A fourth product, a Mercury crossover, will be
produced in Chicago at a future date.
