Ford Motor Co. is giving its Louisville Assembly Plant a massive makeover as it prepares to build a new electric truck in 2027.
The automaker is investing $2 billion to transform the roughly 3-million-square-foot Kentucky factory from gas-powered vehicle production to EV manufacturing, according to an announcement from Ford.
The plant will build Ford’s new Fathom midsize electric truck using the company’s Universal EV Production System, which is designed to cut parts, simplify assembly and speed up production.
“It is simply foundationally different from how we have done things before,” Kevin Young, Ford’s advanced program manufacturing chief, said in a statement. “Operators can see everything in front of them and don’t need to bend or reach to do it.”
FORD TO USE APPLE MAPS SOFTWARE IN SELF-DRIVING TECH FOR NEW EV PLATFORM
The Kentucky overhaul is part of a broader $5 billion investment that Ford says will create 4,000 jobs across the Louisville Assembly Plant and BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.
Under the new system, the Fathom will be built in three major sections – the front, rear and battery deck – allowing employees to work on each section simultaneously before joining them together.
Ford is also turning to large aluminum castings that replace what once was dozens of smaller stamped and welded parts.
FORD REHIRES EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS AFTER AI MISSES THE MARK
The new system will allow the Ford Fathom to be assembled 40% faster than products currently built at the Louisville plant, according to the company.
The plant is also getting a major technology upgrade.
Wi-Fi access points have nearly tripled from 385 to 1,080, and Ford says the plant will have the highest level of final-assembly automation of its factories worldwide.
Employees have also been training in Michigan on the new production process, which the company says is designed to make assembly work easier and more efficient.
FORD RECALLS NEARLY 420,000 EXPEDITION AND LINCOLN NAVIGATOR SUVS OVER SEAT BELT LOCKING ISSUE
“We’ve engineered an 84% reduction in reaching over the fender,” Bryce Currie, Ford’s chief manufacturing officer, said in a statement. “The wiring harness is also more than 4,000 feet shorter and 22 pounds lighter than in our first-gen electric SUV, making it much easier to install.”
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Ford remains on track to begin prototype builds using production-ready parts in the first quarter of 2027, with Fathom production expected later that year.
