On Tuesday, Ford Motor Co. announced a $1.6 billion investment in upgrades for both its Livonia Transmission and Ohio Assembly plants. The Michigan automaker says the investment will create or retain a combined 650 jobs between both plants.
Specifically, Ford will spend a larger chunk of change — a whopping $1.4 billion — at the Livonia Transmission Plant as it readies for the production of a new 10-speed transmission for the 2017 F-150 Raptor. The Livonia upgrade creates and retains 500 jobs of the 650 from Ford’s overall investment.
The remaining $200 million will go to Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant where the Super Duty chassis cabs for the F-350, F-450 and F-550 are built.
“We are proud that Ford employs more hourly workers and builds more vehicles in the United States than any other automaker,” said Ford Americas President Joe Hinrichs in a statement. “We are committed to manufacturing in the United States, as we have been for more than 100 years.”
United Auto Workers Vice President Jimmy Settles said he was “thrilled” with Ford’s announcement and the automaker’s “great commitment to manufacturing quality products.”
In the past five years, Ford has invested $12 billion in its U.S. plants and created nearly 28,000 jobs.
