The first Ford Fusion rolled off the line at Flat Rock Assembly Plant (Michigan) on Thursday, August 29, 2013, marking the first time the new Fusion has been manufactured in the United States. Ford is bringing 1400 employees into the Flat Rock facility, with 400 of those being new hires. By 2015 Ford plans to employ 12,000 more workers in the United States. It is already 6,500 hires into this goal.
The hot-selling Fusion can use the extra capacity, which adds about 300,000 vehicles annually. Sales of Fusion are up 13% in America this year. On average, new vehicles spend 60 days at a dealership before being purchased, but not so with the Fusion. Those average only 20 days on the lot. The Fusion Titanium is selling at a rate of only 15 days at the dealership.
New hires will receive hands-on instruction in Flat Rock’s new simulated factory. It will give them training in a real-world environment, so that they may master the job they will perform on the assembly line before they start in the factory. This is expected to contribute to improved safety and manufacturing.
The Flat Rock Facility has made $555 million in improvements, including a new fully flexible state-of-the-art body shop which offers the ability to build multiple models on the same assembly line. Ford has also upgraded the paint-shop by installing its three-wet paint process. This more environmentally friendly process takes less time than previous painting methods and does not compromise paint quality and durability. Many other upgrades have also been made, making this a fully modern facility.
Now in its 50th year, Flat Rock also manufactures the Ford Mustang. Recently the plant celebrated the building of the 1 millionth Mustang built at this facility. Adding on the Fusion, Flat Rock will employ approximately 3000 workers, spanning two full-time shifts.
