About the Plant
This plant is a part of the much bigger Rouge Complex which is a 1,100 acre site that has eight facilities including die and tool making, stamping, modular production and assembly, steel and pickup assembly. It even has a fitness center, water access, rail, and water recycling. It was certified a green building in 2003 by the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.
First Steps
The first vehicle to be assembled at the plant was the 1921 Fordson tractor. Some other well-known names include the Model A, Thunderbird, and Mustang.
In 2016, a new personalization center will be opening in this plant in which accessories such as striping, side steps, and bug deflectors may become factory options. The Raptor is going to get its final finish here too.
Overpass Battle
Apart from the machinery which is built here, this complex is known to be the site of the Overpass Battle. In May 1937, Ford security guards and labor union organizers fought near Miller Road and Gate 4 of the plant. The union wanted an $8 six hour day whereas the prevailing rate was $6.
Ford did not approve of union and when a couple of the organizers, Walter Reuther and Richard Frankensteen posed for a photo on the overpass, the security guards came up behind them and started beating them as well as others who were handing out leaflets. The police believed this to be an issue for Ford and didn't intervene actively. This finally ended with Ford signing a contract with the United Auto Workers in June 1941.
These same unions helped destroy GM and Chrysler. GM, in fact, still owes America $16 billion which it will probably never be able to pay back. That is why some people believe GM does not exist since they asked for and received a bailout when a small or medium size business would never have obtained. Ford never did receive a bail out.
These unions made some sense in the middle of the 20th century but became too powerful by the end of it. This is why unions are not the powerful anymore in America and the auto companies have had to rip up those old contracts and rewrite new ones. If cars could be made cheaper, they would sell more, which is better for everyone involved.
Truck production
The only time when this plant isn't producing trucks is on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning. This time is utilized for retooling, maintenance, etc. There are three crews in the factory which work in four day ten hour shifts. To build a single truck requires the joint effort of 3,800 employees, 347 robots, 4+ miles of conveyor belts, and 18 hours of time. A new truck is completed each minute.
Torque and quantity is recorded so no fasteners are missed or torqued improperly. The factory isn't the quietest of places with most employees covering their ears with headphones on the line. Vehicles are running on scissor lift skillets in order to make the assembly process easier and faster. They also have beechwood floors to ensure work is carried out at the appropriate height.
Down the line, there are marriage as well as divorce stations. This is due to all the joining and separating of pieces and parts that takes place within the facility. The conveyor is more than four miles long on a smaller site which means there is a lot of up and down and side to side movement during the various stages of assembly. There may be an easier way of doing this, but they are the ones building a truck in 18 hours so who are we to judge?
Most tours visit Henry Ford museum where you will be walking along a one third mile long elevated catwalk. You do not get to look under the hood of the trucks though. Guess some secrets are too valuable to disclose and those powerful smart phone cameras too commonplace.