Louisville Assembly Plant
Encyclopedia
The Louisville Assembly Plant is an automobile
manufacturing plant owned by Ford Motor Company
in Louisville, Kentucky
. The 3154173 square feet (293,032.3 m²) plant on 400 acres (1.6 km²) opened in 1955 and currently employs a total of 2,000 people. It is located adjacent to the Louisville International Airport
on the south side of the city. Ford also operates another plant in Louisville, Kentucky Truck Assembly
.
The plant houses approximately 20.1 miles (32.3 km) of conveyor belts. Vehicle output averaged 86 vehicles per hour.
Ford Motor Company began manufacturing Model T
cars in Louisville in 1913, moving production to Louisville Assembly in 1955. Most Edsel
automobiles (around 67%) were produced here in 1957-1959. The factory produces light trucks, with the Ford Ranger
started in 1982 and the Bronco II
in 1983. Ford produced its two millionth Ranger/Bronco II at the plant on April 26, 1988.
On February 14, 1990, Ford began producing the Explorer
SUV in Louisville after investing $563 million at the plant. It produced one million Explorers as of August 27, 1993. Production of the similar Mercury Mountaineer
began in April of 1996, and Ranger production gave way in April 1999 to the Explorer Sport Trac
.
Production of the Explorer and Mountaineer ended in mid-December 2010. The Explorer moved to Chicago Assembly
, and the Mountaineer was discontinued with the demise of the Mercury brand. After a year of conversion to become "the most flexible (automotive assembly operation) in the world," the Louisville plant will begin production of the Ford Escape
(which will share a platform and components with the next-generation Ford Kuga
) in late 2011, resulting in 1,800 new jobs. The Escape was previously built at Kansas City Assembly
.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturing plant owned by Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The 3154173 square feet (293,032.3 m²) plant on 400 acres (1.6 km²) opened in 1955 and currently employs a total of 2,000 people. It is located adjacent to the Louisville International Airport
Louisville International Airport
Louisville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport centrally located in the city of Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA. The airport covers 1,200 acres and has three runways. Its IATA airport code SDF is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field...
on the south side of the city. Ford also operates another plant in Louisville, Kentucky Truck Assembly
Kentucky Truck Assembly
Kentucky Truck Plant is an automobile manufacturing plant owned by Ford Motor Company in Louisville, Kentucky. The plant on opened in 1969 and currently employs 5,154 people total. It is located at 3001 Chamberlain Lane in the Northeast corner of the city...
.
The plant houses approximately 20.1 miles (32.3 km) of conveyor belts. Vehicle output averaged 86 vehicles per hour.
Ford Motor Company began manufacturing Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
cars in Louisville in 1913, moving production to Louisville Assembly in 1955. Most Edsel
Edsel
The Edsel was an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. The Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. Consequently, the Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development,...
automobiles (around 67%) were produced here in 1957-1959. The factory produces light trucks, with the Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. The "Ranger" name had previously been used for a premium styling package on the F-Series full-sized pickup trucks since 1965. The name was moved to this line of North American compact trucks for the 1983 model year.In North...
started in 1982 and the Bronco II
Ford Bronco II
The Ford Bronco II was a compact SUV sold between 1984 and 1990. It was commissioned as a smaller complement to the full-size Bronco as well as to offer a Ford alternative to the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, Jeep Cherokee , and Toyota 4Runner. The Bronco II was Ford's first compact SUV since the original...
in 1983. Ford produced its two millionth Ranger/Bronco II at the plant on April 26, 1988.
On February 14, 1990, Ford began producing the Explorer
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a sport-utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Chicago, Illinois...
SUV in Louisville after investing $563 million at the plant. It produced one million Explorers as of August 27, 1993. Production of the similar Mercury Mountaineer
Mercury Mountaineer
Although the redesigned Explorer had already been out for two years, Mercury introduced an Explorer twin called the Mountaineer. The Mountaineer was only slightly different from the Explorer, although it did offer a few extra luxury features that the Explorer lacked, such as a standard 302 cu in ...
began in April of 1996, and Ranger production gave way in April 1999 to the Explorer Sport Trac
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a sport-utility vehicle sold in North America and built by the Ford Motor Company since 1990, as a replacement for the smaller but related Ford Bronco II. It is manufactured in Chicago, Illinois...
.
Production of the Explorer and Mountaineer ended in mid-December 2010. The Explorer moved to Chicago Assembly
Chicago Assembly
Chicago Assembly is Ford Motor Company's oldest continually-operated automobile manufacturing plant. It is located at E. 130th Street and Torrence Avenue in the Hegewisch community area of Chicago, Illinois...
, and the Mountaineer was discontinued with the demise of the Mercury brand. After a year of conversion to become "the most flexible (automotive assembly operation) in the world," the Louisville plant will begin production of the Ford Escape
Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a compact SUV sold by the automaker Ford Motor Company introduced in 2000 as a 2001 model year and priced below the Ford Explorer. Although technically it's a crossover vehicle, it is marketed by Ford as part of its traditional SUV lineup rather than its separate crossover lineup...
(which will share a platform and components with the next-generation Ford Kuga
Ford Kuga
The Ford Kuga is a compact crossover SUV designed and produced by Ford. The car is based on the C1 platform that also form the underpinnings of the Ford Focus and Ford C-MAX...
) in late 2011, resulting in 1,800 new jobs. The Escape was previously built at Kansas City Assembly
Kansas City Assembly
The Ford Motor Company's Kansas City Assembly plant in Claycomo, Missouri is a large automative manufacturing plant which has been called the largest car manufacturing plant in the United States in terms of units produced....
.