Ford Invests Billions in Kentucky
Ford will invest $1 billion in its Kentucky Truck Plant—its largest plant worldwide—to build a new, state-of-the-art paint shop, the company said last week (CNBC).
The details: “The facility, which Ford has called its most important and profitable plant globally, produces the automaker’s large F-250 to F-550 Super Duty trucks as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.”
- Ford expects to break ground on the new paint shop late this year.
A pattern of American investment: The news follows the late-August announcement of Ford’s $3 billion investment in its BlueOval Battery Park facility in Marshall, Michigan, a move that will create 1,700 new jobs (and drew White House praise).
- Ford also recently said it would put $2 billion into retooling its Louisville Assembly Plant for electric vehicles and another $2 billion into a battery storage project in Glendale (WKYT).
- Just days after announcing the $1 billion investment, Ford held a Kentucky Truck Plant open house for employees and their families. It featured “self-guided factory tours, complimentary meals, carnival games and booths hosted by community partners.”
Why it’s important: Ford’s total economic impact in Kentucky exceeds $33 billion, and the company is the largest automaker in the state.
- “These investments demonstrate our confidence in Kentucky’s workforce, our commitment to American manufacturing and our belief that the future of mobility and energy will be built right here in the United States,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley in a news release.
