Ford Set to Launch Largest Expansion of Manufacturing Operations in 50 Years, Expecting 8 New Assembly, 6 New Powertrain Plants

As today marks the 100th anniversary of the moving assembly line invented byFord Motor Company (NYSE: F) under the leadership of Henry Ford, the company is buildingon its legacy of innovation by expanding advanced manufacturing capabilitiesand introducing groundbreaking technologies that could revolutionize massproduction for decades to come.Ford is rapidly expanding its advanced manufacturing capabilities and boostingglobal production to meet surging consumer demand. By 2017, Ford will increaseits global flexible manufacturing to produce on average four different modelsat each plant around the world to allow for greater adaptability based onvarying customer demand. Ford also projects 90 percent of its plants aroundthe world will be running on a three-shift or crew model by 2017, which willhelp increase production time more than 30 percent."One hundred years ago, my great-grandfather had a vision to build safe andefficient transportation for everyone," said Ford Executive Chairman BillFord. "I am proud he was able to bring the freedom of mobility to millions bymaking cars affordable to families and that his vision of serving people stilldrives everything we do today."Also in 2017, virtually all Ford vehicles will be built off nine coreplatforms, boosting manufacturing efficiency, while giving customers thefeatures, fuel efficiency and technology they want anywhere in the world.Today, Ford builds vehicles on 15 platforms and has the freshest lineup in theindustry."Henry Ford's core principles of quality parts, workflow, division of laborand efficiency still resonate today," said John Fleming, Ford executive vicepresident of global manufacturing. "Building on that tradition, we'reaccelerating our efforts to standardize production, make factories moreflexible and introduce advanced technologies to efficiently build the bestvehicles possible at the best value for our customers no matter where theylive."Ford's recent expansions in global manufacturing and production have helped toretain 130,000 hourly and salaried jobs around the world.They also put the company on pace to produce 6 million vehicles in 2013 –approximately 16 vehicles every 60 seconds around the world. By 2015, Fordwill have opened the facilities below: o 2014: Camacari Engine Plant – o 2011: Ford Sollers Elabuga Assembly Brazil Plant – Russia o 2014: Chongqing #3 Assembly Plant o 2012: Ford Sollers Naberezhnye – China  Chelny Assembly Plant – Russia o 2014: Chongqing Transmission – o 2012: Chongqing #2 Assembly Plant – China  China o 2014: Sanand Assembly Plant – o 2012: Craiova Engine Plant – Romania India o 2012: Ford Thailand Motors – o 2014: Sanand Engine Plant – Thailand India  o 2013: Chongqing Engine Plant – China o 2015: Hangzhou Assembly – China o 2013: Nanchang Assembly – China o 2015: Ford Sollers Elabuga Engine Plant – Russia An innovation that changed the worldOne hundred years ago today, Henry Ford and his team at Highland Park assemblyplant launched the world's greatest contribution to manufacturing – the firstmoving assembly line. It simplified assembly of the Ford Model T's 3,000 partsby breaking it into 84 distinct steps performed by groups of workers as a ropepulled the vehicle chassis down the line.The new process revolutionized production and dropped the assembly time for asingle vehicle from 12 hours to about 90 minutes.By reducing the money, time and manpower needed to build cars as he refinedthe assembly line over the years, Ford was able to drop the price of the ModelT from $850 to less than $300. For the first time in history, quality vehicleswere affordable to the masses. Eventually, Ford built a Model T every 24seconds and sold more than 15 million worldwide by 1927, accounting for halfof all automobiles then sold."Ford's new approach spread rapidly, not only to other automakers but also tomanufacturers of phonographs, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and otherconsumer goods," said Bob Casey, former curator of transportation at The HenryFord, and author of The Model T: A Centennial History. "The assembly linebecame the characteristic American mode of production."In 1914, Ford instituted the "$5 workday," a significant wage at the time, toenable his employees to buy the vehicles they built. The move created loyaltyamong Ford workers and is credited with giving rise to a new middle class ofconsumers unencumbered by geography, free to travel the open roads, to livewhere they please and chase the American dream.Ford fans today are honoring Henry Ford and his ingenious moving assemblyline. National Geographic Channel will mark the occasion with an in-depth newdocumentary as part of its "Ultimate Factories" program airing Friday, Oct.18. Information about the documentary and local air times can be found here.For additional information, graphics, images and video on Ford's movingassembly line, please visit media.ford.com.New technologies shape the futureFord already is realizing the benefits of advanced manufacturing technologiesthat will shape the future. For example, Ford engineers are developing ahighly flexible, first-of-its-kind, patented technology to rapidly formsheet-metal parts for low-volume production use. The technology, known as FordFreeform Fabrication Technology, or F3T, will lower costs and speed deliverytimes for prototype stamping molds – within three business days versus two tosix months for prototypes made using conventional methods.Additionally, Ford is expanding its capabilities in 3D printing, which createsproduction-representative 3D parts layer by layer for testable prototypes.With 3D printing, Ford can create multiple versions of one part at a time anddeliver prototype parts to engineers for testing in days rather than months.Ford also is investing in robotic innovations to improve vehicle quality andproduction efficiencies. For example, the company's new dirt detection systemuses robotic vision to create a digital model of each vehicle in finalassembly to analyze paint and surface imperfections in comparison with aperfect model. The result has been significantly improved surface quality onFord vehicles and more time for operators on the assembly line to addresscomplex issues. Robotics, in this case, allow Ford to work smarter inimproving products for customers and allowing workers to focus on morecritical thinking tasks. Finally, through Ford's "virtual factory," the company can improve quality andcut costs in real-world manufacturing facilities by creating and analyzingcomputer simulations of the complete vehicle production process. This includessimulations of how assembly line workers have to reach and stretch whenbuilding a vehicle to ensure the work conditions meet Ford ergonomicstandards. Since the implementation of this virtual process in 2001, thenumber of ergonomic issues during physical builds has been reduced by nearly20 percent.