Ford Rouge Center Makes History Again During Launch of its Unique Redevelopment
14 November 2000
Ford Rouge Center Makes History Again During Launch of its Unique Redevelopment
DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 14 Ford Rouge Center retiree Carl
Ford, perched inside a large construction crane, drove in one of the steel
piles for a new assembly plant at the Ford Rouge Center today, as Ford
Chairman Bill Ford, government and UAW officials and more than 200 hourly and
salaried Rouge employees cheered.
The gesture not only signaled the start of a new assembly plant, but also
launched the redevelopment of the entire Ford Rouge Center.
"Today we are laying the groundwork to transform a 20th century industrial
icon into a model of 21st century sustainable manufacturing," Bill Ford said.
Carl Ford and his brothers, Herbert and Alvin, are part of the second
generation of a four-generation family that has 76 years of continuous service
at the Ford Rouge Center. Their father, Roosevelt Ford, started his career at
the Rouge in its foundry operations.
The new plant, called the Dearborn Truck Plant, initially will manufacture
the Ford Ranger. It will dramatically reduce the space normally needed for
both component and finished vehicle storage. Finished vehicle storage space
will be reduced by 50 percent inside and outside the plant. This means 90
percent of the vehicles produced will be shipped the same day. Its assembly
lines will be capable of handling three vehicle platforms and nine different
models.
"We think the new assembly plant will provide a terrific opportunity to
begin transforming one of the enduring symbols of the industrial age," said
Ford CEO and President Jac Nasser. "This will be a facility designed to
expand our manufacturing vision, test advanced environmental concepts, and
over time become a new model for future Ford facilities."
Ford Motor Company's plans for the Ford Rouge Center encompass
testing numerous advanced environmental concepts. The Dearborn Truck Plant
will have the world's largest ecologically inspired living roof -- about
454,000 square feet -- that will reduce storm water runoff by holding a few
inches of rainfall.
The plant will have people-friendly features such as overhead safety
walkways, day lighting, team rooms, cooler air in the summer months and
relaxing places to congregate. Bill McDonough, an internationally renowned
architect and environmental thought leader, has worked with Ford to bring
concepts of sustainability to the project.
Among the proposals being considered is reopening selected areas of the
site to the public. The company is working with the Automobile National
Heritage Area Partnership, which features the Ford Rouge Center in its
proposed tour. The company also is working with the community-based Rouge
Gateway Partnership, whose goal is environmentally responsible redevelopment
in the area.
Additionally, the 83-year-old Ford Rouge Center is the site for testing:
* Phytoremediation that uses natural plants to rid soil of contaminants
* Porous paving that filters water through retention beds with 2-3 feet
of compacted stones, thereby helping manage storm water runoff
* Swales, or shallow green ditches seeded with indigenous plants that
will improve storm water management
* Trellises for flowering vines and other plants to shade and help cool
the Rouge Office building and the new assembly plant
* Renewable energy sources such as solar cells and fuel cells
* Planting more than 1,500 trees and thousands of other plantings to
attract songbirds and create habitats
About $2 billion is being invested at the Ford Rouge Center. It began
when the company and the UAW recognized the need to work together on
modernization and signed the Rouge Viability Agreement in 1997. Completed
projects include significant upgrades at the Dearborn Engine and Fuel Tank and
Dearborn Stamping plants and a new frame line in the Dearborn Frame Plant.
Ford Rouge Center occupies 600 acres of the original 1,100-acre complex.
The remainder is occupied by steel operations that Ford sold to Rouge Steel in
1989.
A new paint shop -- currently supporting the Dearborn Assembly Plant --
will be used with the new facility. It has world-class, water-based primer
and base coat paint systems and a high-solids clear coat system. Together
with advanced abatement equipment, the new shop has significantly reduced
emissions while maintaining high-quality standards.
The M-TEC training center, a partnership among government agencies,
organized labor, business and education, is planned for a nearby five-acre
site, formerly the locale of the Ford Rotunda.
The project depends upon completion of negotiations for local and county
incentives.