TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Ford Motor Co. is on pace to bring in-house approximately 1,975 hourly jobs that would be performed by suppliers inside and outside of the U.S. by 2012 – exceeding its original commitment to the United Auto Workers by more than 25%.

Ford said it is able to bring the UAW jobs into Ford’s U.S. plants thanks to collaboration with the union to make its plants more competitive and efficient through modern labor agreements.

“The name of the game is competitiveness, and our UAW partners have found new ways of working together on labor agreements that allow us to bring jobs back to Ford plants and back to America,” said Mark Fields, president of The Americas, who is speaking today at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.

The initial commitment with the UAW called for 1,559 jobs to be “in-sourced” to Ford hourly workers throughout the four-year term of the contract. Ford already has brought 1,340 jobs into 24 U.S. plants and has committed to bring another 635 to nine Ford plants in the U.S. by 2012.

Ford and the UAW have been working together to develop a strong business case for sourcing components – including parts, sub-assemblies and systems – to the company’s American plants. Some of these jobs would have been produced by suppliers outside the U.S.

Ford has committed to in-source jobs to the majority of its assembly, powertrain and stamping facilities around the country, including the:

  • Sharonville (Ohio) Transmission Plant for 6F35 automatic transmission gear machining and solenoid body assembly

  • Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., for moon roof sub-assembly, instrument panel assembly and part kitting for engine, doors and interior trim for the company’s new Ford Focus, arriving in dealerships this winter

  • Chicago Stamping Plant for a variety of stamped parts for the Lincoln MKS and Ford Taurus, as well as for next generation Ford Explorer

  • Sterling Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich., for global production of the Rear Drive Unit for Ford’s front-wheel drive products

  • Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights for production of the 6F35 automatic transmission and HF35 electric drive transaxle. The work is currently performed by a supplier in Japan

  • Rawsonville Plant in Ypsilanti, Mich., for battery pack assembly for next-generation hybrid-electric vehicles. The work is currently performed by a supplier in Mexico

    “Bringing these jobs to Ford’s U.S. facilities has proven to be a win-win proposition for the company and our salaried and hourly employees,” said Jim Tetreault, Ford vice president, North America Manufacturing. “Not only are these agreements enabling us to become more cost competitive, but bringing work to our UAW work force ensures that we apply world-class quality control and improved efficiency through the rigorous processes that are part of our production system.”

    Ford said it has a long history of working hand-in-hand with the UAW on competitive issues, including initiatives aimed at improving quality and productivity. As a result, the company continues to show substantial improvement in these metrics as reported in both internal studies and third-party research.

    For example, according to the most recent J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, the Ford brand now has the highest initial quality among all non-luxury brands, with three Ford models ranking highest within their segments.

    “Ford’s commitment to working with the UAW to maximize our in-sourcing opportunities sends another clear signal that we are investing in the future of American manufacturing,” Fields said. “We will continue working with our UAW partners and others on competitive business plans designed to provide opportunities for long-term growth and profitable growth for all of our stakeholders.”