Thursday, September 16, 1999
Ford expanding transmission plant
$154 M project will add 220 jobs
BY MIKE BOYER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Continued strong sales of Ford Motor Co.'s best-selling F-series pickups and large sport utility vehicles has triggered a $154 million expansion at the company's Sharonville transmission plant.
Hamilton County commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved a 10-year enterprise zone tax abatement agreement for the project. It is expected to increase the Sharonville plant's employment by 220 jobs over the next two years. The plant now employs 2,220.
As part of the project, Ford is building a 125,000-square-foot addition. The expansion is the third since 1995 at the 2.3 million-square-foot plant, which had been targeted for shutdown about 15 years ago by Ford.
“We're pleased to work with local officials on this project,” said Nick Sharkey, Ford spokesman. “It's important to expand this plant to remain competitive in a fiercely competitive world.”
Ford plans to increase production of the four-speed automatic transmission for its F-series trucks, Expedition, Econoline van and Lincoln Navigator SUV by more than 20 percent.
The plant now produces 700,000 of the Ford 4R100 transmissions for those vehicles, and the expansion will increase that capacity by 150,000 units annually, Mr. Sharkey said.
Under the 75 percent tangible personal property tax abatement granted Ford, the company plans to invest $153 million in new production equipment and $1 million in inventory for the expansion. The company said the investment will increase its current annual payroll of $174 million by $8.6 million.
Earlier this year, the Sharonville plant added about 200 jobs as part of a $90 million investment to build components for a new small-car transmission dubbed the “FN,” which Ford will introduce next year.
In 1995, Ford invested $180 million to build a flexible transmission line that assembles transmissions for both cars and trucks. That product is used on the Explorer, Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis.
The plant also produces another rear-wheel drive transmission used on the new Lincoln LS luxury sports sedan.
The F-series pickup has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 18 years.
Last month, Ford reported F-series sales fell 7.6 percent from a year ago. Company officials, however, said that reflected higher year-ago sales when rival General Motors Corp. was recovering from a strike and heavy discounting by rivals.
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