Ford to spend additional $850 million in Mich., add 1,200 jobs

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Ford to spend additional $850 million in Mich., add 1,200 jobs

Automaker to increase efforts on fuel-saving vehicles

Automotive News -- October 25, 2010 - 3:08 pm ET

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. plans to spend an additional $850 million over the next three years to boost development of fuel-saving vehicles.

About 1,200 jobs will be created as part of the effort, the automaker said in a statement today. Three-fourths of the positions will be for hourly workers.

Most of the investment will go toward expanded production of six-speed transmissions.

“Fuel economy and technology are consumers’ biggest priorities -- and we have made them Ford’s as well,” Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, said in the statement.

PRESS RELEASE: FORD TO INVEST ADDITIONAL $850 MILLION IN MICHIGAN TO ENGINEER, BUILD FUEL-EFFICIENT NEW VEHICLES

• Ford will invest an incremental $850 million in Michigan between 2011 and 2013 as part of its competitive plan to engineer and manufacture even more fuel-efficient vehicles and fuel-saving technologies in the state

• Among other projects, Ford will expand manufacturing capabilities for new, fuel-efficient six-speed transmissions. New investments support up to 1,200 new full-time manufacturing and engineering positions in Michigan

• To help enable this investment plan, Ford has worked with the State of Michigan on job retention tax incentives that contribute to the state’s overall manufacturing competitiveness

DETROIT, Oct. 25, 2010 – Ford Motor Company today announced plans to invest an additional $850 million in Michigan between 2011 and 2013 as part of the company’s commitment to competitively grow its engineering and manufacturing employee base, upgrade its facilities in the state and further improve its vehicle fuel economy.

“Fuel economy and technology are consumers’ biggest priorities – and we have made them Ford’s as well,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “We are pleased to work with state and local government leaders to find new ways to work together, invest in our people as well as Ford facilities, further improve our competitiveness and secure jobs in Michigan.”

Ford’s investment will generate up to 1,200 new full-time positions in manufacturing and engineering operations in Michigan by 2013. The company expects approximately 900 jobs will be hourly positions in its Michigan manufacturing facilities and the remaining 300 will be salaried positions within its engineering and manufacturing operations.

Ford is making the Michigan investment commitment after working with officials on a new Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) package that replaces several existing state incentives and makes Michigan a more competitive place to invest in new fuel-saving technologies and facilities. The Michigan Economic Development Council considers the package this week.

Once approved, Ford will allocate its $850 million investment across a variety of plants including Van Dyke Transmission, Sterling Axle, Livonia Transmission and Dearborn Truck Plant.

For instance, a significant portion of the company’s additional investment will benefit engineering and production of Ford’s new six-speed transmissions, which are planned for many future Ford vehicles and built at the Livonia Transmission Plant and Van Dyke Transmission Plant. By 2013, 100 percent of Ford vehicles will incorporate a six-speed transmission as part of the company’s commitment to leadership in fuel economy performance in all vehicle segments.

“We applaud the State of Michigan’s leadership in finding innovative solutions aimed at making both the state and Ford more competitive,” Fields said. “Promoting investments in technologies, facilities and our workforce ultimately will help revitalize manufacturing in Michigan and help Ford compete with the best in the business world-wide.”

This most recent investment commitment builds on the $950 million the company previously announced in Michigan to transform the Michigan Assembly Plant from a large SUV factory to a state-of-the-art car plant, which will build the new Focus arriving in showrooms early next year, as well as the company's battery electric Focus and next generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, all planned for production at the Wayne, Mich., facility by 2012.

“We've worked hard to keep Michigan the center of the automobile industry, and Ford’s investment is further evidence that our efforts are succeeding,” said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Ford as the American auto industry builds the green vehicles of the future.”

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101025/OEM01/101029913/1186#ixzz13PC3sN2T

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Ford to invest $850M in Michigan facilities

The Detroit News / By Alisa Priddle

Sterling Heights— Ford Motor Co. announced today it will invest $850 million in Michigan facilities over the next three years, creating 1,200 jobs.

About 900 jobs will be hourly positions and 300 are salaried jobs.

The investment will be allocated to the Van Dyke transmission plant, Sterling Axle, Livonia transmission and Dearborn Truck plants to engineer and assemble six-speed transmissions for a number of vehicles.

"Investing in American manufacturing is a priority for Ford," said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

Ford will use the investment for a "broad range of more fuel-efficient vehicles," Fields said.

Everything in the Ford lineup will have a six-speed by 2013.

The automaker will expand manufacturing of six-speeds at thetransmission plants in Sterling Heights and in Livonia that employapproximately 3,300 workers, Fields said at an event at the Van Dyke plant. The line there was stopped temporarily so all employees could participate.

The Sterling Heights plant received a $62 million Department of Energy grant that Ford matched and will support Ford's hybrid and plug-in hybrid plans, as well as electric vehicles such as the Ford Focus, Fields said.

Full details of the plans will be revealed over the next few months, he said.

"We want to ensure Michigan remains the epicenter of today's and tomorrow's high-tech auto industry," Fields said.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101025/AUTO01/10250394/1148/auto01/Ford-to-invest-$850M-in-Michigan-facilities#ixzz13PWIiopr

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Ford: $850M investment would create 1,200 jobs

By Brent Snavely

Free Press Business Writer

Ford said today it plans to invest $850 million over the next three years at its transmission plant in Sterling Heights and at plants in six other Michigan communities.

The Dearborn automaker said it expects its investment will generate 1,200 full-time jobs. Ford said about 900 of those jobs will be hourly positions at Michigan plants and the other 300 will be salaried jobs either at the plants or at engineering sites.

A significant portion of money will go toward the engineering and production of Ford‘s new six-speed transmissions, which will be built at Ford’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant and its Livonia Transmission Plant, the company said.

Ford said the plans depend on tax incentives that the Michigan Economic Development Council will consider later this week.

Read more: Ford: $850M investment would create 1,200 jobs | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101025/BUSINESS0102/101025037/1210/business01/Ford-850M-investment-would-create-1200-jobs#ixzz13PWyYCaU

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

FORD TO SPEND $850M, ADD 1,200 JOBS IN MICHIGAN AIMED AT FUEL EFFICIENCY

By Mark Kleis

Ford Motor Company, based in Dearborn, Michigan, has just announced that beginning in 2011 the automaker will set a plan in motion that will entail spending $850 million, adding up to 1,200 jobs in the process.

The plan, says Ford, is aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of its fleet, with a good deal of the investment going towards the development and production of more fuel-efficient six-speed transmissions.

"We are pleased to work with state and local government leaders to find new ways to work together, invest in our people as well as Ford facilities, further improve our competitiveness and secure jobs in Michigan," said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. "We applaud the State of Michigan’s leadership in finding innovative solutions aimed at making both the state and Ford more competitive."

Fields was referring to special job retention tax incentives, offered by the state of Michigan, that the automaker says will contribute to the state's overall manufacturing competitiveness, enabling Ford to retain and create jobs within the state.

The automaker clarified that a significant portion of the $850 million will benefit engineering and production of Ford's new six-speed transmissions, which are planned for many future Ford vehicles and built at the Livonia Transmission Plant and Van Dyke Transmission Plant. By 2013, 100 percent of Ford vehicles will incorporate a six-speed transmission.

link:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-to-spend-850m-add-1200-jobs-in-michigan-aimed-at-fuel-efficiency.html

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Ford's $850-million plan a good sign

Move to create 1,200 jobs more evidence of auto momentum

BY BRENT SNAVELY

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Ford's decision to invest $850 million in metro Detroit factories -- a move that will create 1,200 jobs -- is the latest evidence of health in the domestic auto industry.

More evidence is on the way.

Ford, which earned $4.7 billion in the first half of the year, is expected today to report a third-quarter profit of more than $1 billion.

Today, state economic development officials also will consider investment proposals from General Motors and Chrysler, in addition to a total of about $415 million in tax breaks over the next 15 years for Ford. Gov. Jennifer Granholm said it's evidence "that the American auto industry is back."

Ford will invest $850 million to, among other things, build fuel-efficient six-speed transmissions that will be offered company-wide by 2013. The investment is slated for Van Dyke Transmission in Sterling Heights, Sterling Axle in Sterling Heights, Livonia Transmission and Dearborn Truck.

Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said Ford decided to invest the money in its home state because of the tax breaks and recent labor agreements with the UAW.

"I think it says wonders about what we can do," Fields said at the Van Dyke Transmission Plant.

900 hourly jobs, 300 salaried planned

At least four plants in Michigan will gain jobs from Ford's decision to invest $850million in transmissions, transmission components and other products, said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas.

Ford declined to provide a full list of the plants that would benefit because the investment will occur over the next three years and how the money will be allocated is not yet final.

However, Ford said the plants would include Van Dyke Transmission in Sterling Heights, Sterling Axle in Sterling Heights, Livonia Transmission and Dearborn Truck.

If the Michigan Economic Development Corp. approves a tax incentive package for Ford today, the Dearborn automaker's investment would create 1,200 full-time jobs between 2011 and 2013, he said. About 900 would be hourly jobs; the remaining 300 would be salaried jobs at the plants or engineering positions.

Fewer than 200 hourly workers on indefinite layoff would be offered a first shot at the hourly positions.

Fields said the investment is for new fuel-efficient, six-speed transmissions that will be offered in all vehicles by 2013.

Fields said Ford's ability to make the investment is the result of the growing success of the company's turnaround plan, the state's willingness to work with Ford and recent labor agreements with the UAW that have lowered labor costs.

"The more competitive our business can become, the more capital we can invest," Fields said Monday at the Van Dyke Transmission Plant. "Investing in American manufacturing is a priority for Ford."

Ford has been adding jobs in the U.S. as it has gained market share. In August, the company said it agreed to add 1,975 hourly jobs by 2012 to do work previously done by suppliers. That's more than the 1,559 the company committed to in its 2007 agreement with the UAW.

In January, the company also said it would hire about 1,200 to build its next-generation Ford Explorer at its Chicago Assembly Plant.

Through September, the second-largest U.S. automaker's share of U.S. industry sales was 16.7%, or 1.5 percentage points higher than it was for the same period last year, according to Autodata.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm said the Ford's decision to invest in Michigan proves that it takes a partnership between government and manufacturers to create jobs in Michigan.

Granholm said Michigan must consider tax incentives in order to compete with other states and countries such as Mexico.

"We are competing in a global economy," Granholm said. "Those governments are competing to keep jobs and get jobs in their countries."

Today, the state's economic development board will consider a $415-million economic incentive package for Ford. The incentive package essentially would refinance three previously awarded state grants for Ford and combine them into one with the current package.

"This investment is enabled by the State of Michigan's job tax incentives and they will help us more competitively expand our research and engineering base here in Michigan," Fields said.

link:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101026/BUSINESS01/10260356/1331/Fords-850-million-plan-a-good-sign&template=fullarticle