Most automobile enthusiasts know that the modern automobile production factory traces its roots all the way back to Henry Ford and the Model T. Ford’s vision led to the invention of the moving automotive assembly line, which enabled mass production of vehicles and ushered in a new era of transportation in the United States.
Perhaps the most impactful innovation since the moving assembly line has been the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) into the automobile market. It’s only fitting, then, that Ford would be the company to rethink, revitalize, and reinvent the way EVs are manufactured in the U.S.
In a recent IndustryWeek article, author Robert Schoenberger reports on Ford’s recently-announced “plans to invest $5 billion in Louisville, Kentucky, and Marshall, Michigan, for its next generation of electric trucks,” which “[t]he company is calling…a Model-T moment as it rethinks the shape of the assembly line.”
To establish “a strong, sustainable and profitable business,” Ford knew it couldn’t rely on doing things the way that it had always done them. To the contrary, the company set out to reinvent EV manufacturing from the ground up.
According to Ford President and CEO Jim Farley, “[w]e tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one.” Bryce Currie, Ford vice president, Americas Manufacturing, notes that, “[r]ather than a straight assembly line…the new system will be more like a tree – three separate production processes that come together for final assembly.”
It’s an ambitious plan. Schoenberger points out that “Ford officials say the new vehicles will use dramatically fewer parts and take less assembly time than internal combustion engine options. Targets include: 20% fewer parts, 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations, [and] 15% faster assembly time.”
Currie explains that “[w]e put our employees at the center and re-created the factory from scratch…We live and breathe continuous improvement, but sometimes you need a dramatic leap forward. We expect ergonomic breakthroughs and complexity reduction – through elimination of parts, connectors and wire – will flow through to significant quality and cost wins.”
The Kentucky and Michigan plants will initially focus on small- to mid-sized electric trucks. However, the new processes will allow for much greater flexibility moving forward. “Ford officials say the new electric architecture will be modular and able to support lots of different vehicle types.”
Ford’s recent EV-related announcements, both regarding the Louisville and Michigan plants, as well as an EV-battery manufacturing facility, are welcome news for an EV industry facing an uncertain future due to the Trump administration’s removal of tax breaks and incentives that had been powering the EV industry the last several years.
As Ford and potentially other automobile manufacturers continue to invest in EV projects, more and more skilled workers will be needed to fill thousands of jobs in these facilities. The workers in these facilities will need to stay on the cutting edge of technical skill development. A focus on continual skill improvement will require both upskilling of current workers and training current students with the advanced skills they’ll need to be successful in these jobs.
The experts at Amatrol have been working hand-in-hand with industry and educational institutions for years to design training programs featuring eLearning curriculum and hands-on experience with trainers equipped with industrial components workers will encounter on the job.
When it comes to EV training, Amatrol is once again leading the way. Amatrol has hosted the State of Ohio Electric Vehicle Workforce Strategy meeting at its headquarters in Jeffersonville, Indiana, to help chart a course for preparing the Ohio workforce for the jobs that EV battery and vehicle manufacturing facilities will soon bring. Click here to watch a video about that meeting.
Amatrol has also held an EV Summit Meeting with MichAuto and other representatives in the EV industry to work together to develop the next generation of EV training systems and curriculum. Partnering with these experts allows Amatrol to ensure it’s developing the training systems workers really need to thrive.
What Amatrol has learned is that, in many ways, the development of EV battery and vehicle manufacturing facilities shares similarities with semiconductor manufacturing facilities. They both represent precision manufacturing that requires advanced automation skills.
Visit Amatrol online to learn more about its EV Manufacturing Program. For more information about how Amatrol can help you upskill your current workers, contact an expert at Amatrol today!
