Ford Starts Construction of Blue Oval City

[ANTAUS]

Autoblog.com

[tarheels23]

Go Ford e

[rperez817]

3 hours ago, tarheels23 said:

Go Ford e

 

Most definitely! BOC groundbreaking is a major milestone in Ford's transition out of the "old world" of the automotive industry and into the new. Congratulations Ford!

[Harley Lover]

There is an interesting quote embedded in the Ford media announcement:  

Quote

“We are building the future right here in West Tennessee,” said Eric Grubb, Ford’s director of new footprint construction. “This facility is the blueprint for Ford’s future manufacturing facilities and will enable Ford to help lead America’s shift to electric vehicles.”

 

If taken literally, he's saying that Ford plan to have all its plants for EVs with battery production adjacent. I realize that probably won't be the case (the 2 battery plants in Kentucky will presumably supply multiple plants), but maybe it is Ford's plan for future plants like OAC and maybe even Hermosillo at some point in the future.

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, Harley Lover said:

There is an interesting quote embedded in the Ford media announcement:  

 

If taken literally, he's saying that Ford plan to have all its plants for EVs with battery production adjacent. I realize that probably won't be the case (the 2 battery plants in Kentucky will presumably supply multiple plants), but maybe it is Ford's plan for future plants like OAC and maybe even Hermosillo at some point in the future.

I kind of made this assumption when they first announced BOC. There's a reason they’re choosing the plants they’re choosing for BEV production and leaving others to die on the ICE vine. 

[jpd80]

Does anyone find it really strange why Ford picked  Stanton Tennessee for BOC?

It looks to be a bit isolated form the rest of Ford’s operations.

 

Even Ford’s SK JV battery pack is not right next to Louisville AP or Kentucky Truck Plant, about 20 miles south as the crow flies… Would Ford build a new Assembly Plant next door to the battery plant or just supply LAP and KTP?

Edited September 25, 2022 by jpd80

[fuzzymoomoo]

3 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Does anyone find it really strange why Ford picked  Stanton Tennessee for BOC?

It looks to be a bit isolated form the rest of Ford’s operations.

They had the biggest bucket of taxpayer money to hand out. 

 

3 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Even Ford’s SK JV battery pack is not right next to Louisville AP or Kentucky Truck Plant, about 20 miles south as the crow flies… Would Ford build a new Assembly Plant next door to the battery plant or just supply LAP and KTP?

Like I said, there has to be a reason they’re picking and choosing which plants survive to BEV production and the rest die on the ICE vine. 

[rperez817]

5 hours ago, jpd80 said:

Does anyone find it really strange why Ford picked  Stanton Tennessee for BOC?

It looks to be a bit isolated form the rest of Ford’s operations.

 

You are correct jpd80 that West Tennessee is away from Ford's other operations, but as fuzzymoomoo said, corporate welfare factored heavily into Ford's and SK Innovation's decision to choose the site in Haywood County. Back in 2009, the Tennessee State Building Commission started spending millions of taxpayer money to acquire land and to do marketing promotion for an industrial "megasite" near Stanton. BOC is located at this megasite.

[Harley Lover]

2 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

They had the biggest bucket of taxpayer money to hand out. 

 

 

I think there's more to it than that (although the sweet nectar of taxpayer $ matters); the location is near a nexus of interstates, and also near the Mississippi, which could potentially provide upsides for delivery of goods to the plants (think minerals in containers or on barges for the battery plants). I'm not sure about rail, but you would probably have some insight on that component.

[j2sys]

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/09/23/blueoval-city-groundbreaking.html
 

Whoever wrote this press release doesn't seem to understand that they're past groundbreaking - that happened back around the time of the announcement.

 

What they've started now is vertical construction - building the stuff above the ground.  They're making progress there.

 

[blazerdude20]

25 minutes ago, j2sys said:

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/09/23/blueoval-city-groundbreaking.html
 

Whoever wrote this press release doesn't seem to understand that they're past groundbreaking - that happened back around the time of the announcement.

 

What they've started now is vertical construction - building the stuff above the ground.  They're making progress there.

 

Correct! When you see steel flying up like that, you are typically 9-12 months into on site construction. The underground utilities and prep work for an industrial site like this is immense. 

[rperez817]

55 minutes ago, j2sys said:

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/09/23/blueoval-city-groundbreaking.html
 

Whoever wrote this press release doesn't seem to understand that they're past groundbreaking - that happened back around the time of the announcement.

 

What they've started now is vertical construction - building the stuff above the ground.  They're making progress there.

 

50 minutes ago, blazerdude20 said:

Correct! When you see steel flying up like that, you are typically 9-12 months into on site construction. The underground utilities and prep work for an industrial site like this is immense. 

 

Good points j2sys and blazerdude20. Press release terminology issues aside, it's great news that Ford is making progress getting its most significant new manufacturing facility so far in the 21st century built.

[Joe771476]

What is SK On?  Do I really want to know?

[j2sys]

4 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

What is SK On?  Do I really want to know?

 

Google search?

 

https://lmgtfy.app/?q=SK+On

 

https://www.reuters.com/technology/skorean-ev-battery-maker-sk-raises-15-bln-expansion-push-report-2022-08-19/

 

Quote

South Korea's SK On has raised about 2 trillion won ($1.51 billion) from private equity firms, pushing the electric vehicle (EV) battery maker's valuation to around 20 trillion won as it works to expand production abroad, local media reported on Thursday.

 

The battery unit of energy group SK Innovation Co Ltd (096770.KS) has been in talks with a local private equity consortium which includes EastBridge Partners, Korea Investment Partners and Stella Investment, the Korea Economic Daily Newspaper said, citing unidentified investment banking sources.

 

SK Innovation is Ford's battery partner for BOC and BO SK Battery Park.

Edited September 26, 2022 by j2sys

[slemke]

13 hours ago, j2sys said:

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/09/23/blueoval-city-groundbreaking.html
 

Whoever wrote this press release doesn't seem to understand that they're past groundbreaking - that happened back around the time of the announcement.

 

What they've started now is vertical construction - building the stuff above the ground.  They're making progress there.

 

Good to know I wasn’t the only one thinking this is well past the ground breaking stage.  Usually that would be a couple executives and politicians with shovels on an empty site before the heavy equipment arrived.

 

Looks like they are pretty far along.

[Bob Rosadini]

On 9/24/2022 at 10:46 AM, Harley Lover said:

“We are building the future right here in West Tennessee,” said Eric Grubb, Ford’s director of new footprint construction.

Wow,  a "director of new footprint  construction".  Ford is laying people off, yet when I read about this degree of organization structure "specialization," seems to me bloat is starting to  take over.  

 

[rmc523]

12 hours ago, slemke said:

Good to know I wasn’t the only one thinking this is well past the ground breaking stage.  Usually that would be a couple executives and politicians with shovels on an empty site before the heavy equipment arrived.

 

Looks like they are pretty far along.

I saw that photo too but never opened the article so figured they maybe just used a stock image of “construction”, without knowing what a groundbreaking was.

[jflottawa]

2 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Wow,  a "director of new footprint  construction".  Ford is laying people off, yet when I read about this degree of organization structure "specialization," seems to me bloat is starting to  take over.  

 

Don't think hiring someone (or a team) to look over the mega-multi-billion dollar current and future factory expansion and build-out to be something to consider as bloated. 

[akirby]

4 hours ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Wow,  a "director of new footprint  construction".  Ford is laying people off, yet when I read about this degree of organization structure "specialization," seems to me bloat is starting to  take over.  

 

Given the scope of what’s currently under construction.plus future products it would be irresponsible not to have a dedicated Director.

[blazerdude20]

4 hours ago, akirby said:

Given the scope of what’s currently under construction.plus future products it would be irresponsible not to have a dedicated Director.

This is true of most large corporations. A certain local athletic apparel company has a dedicated executive and sizable team to handle property procurement and development projects for expansion. There is a ton of money at stake to not have someone overseeing it. 

[Bob Rosadini]

8 hours ago, akirby said:

Given the scope of what’s currently under construction.plus future products it would be irresponsible not to have a dedicated Director.

Well once again I'm showing my age.  Obviously a huge responsibility-no argument-  but a "footprint director"?  Had it simply referred to a Senior Director or VP I wouldn't have given it a thought.  Plus how many key high level positions have we seen announced lately?  Perhaps that is what prompted me to think of "bloat".

 

Then again, if perhaps they had A specialized person reporting to Hinrichs when they gutted CAP, and put in a completely different assembly process dedicated to a N/S platform vs an E/W platform perhaps they would have saved Ford a lot of grief and bad press.   Didn't he have worldwide manufacturing responsibility?

[j2sys]

34 minutes ago, Bob Rosadini said:

Well once again I'm showing my age.  Obviously a huge responsibility-no argument-  but a "footprint director"?  Had it simply referred to a Senior Director or VP I wouldn't have given it a thought.  Plus how many key high level positions have we seen announced lately?  Perhaps that is what prompted me to think of "bloat".

 

Then again, if perhaps they had A specialized person reporting to Hinrichs when they gutted CAP, and put in a completely different assembly process dedicated to a N/S platform vs an E/W platform perhaps they would have saved Ford a lot of grief and bad press.   Didn't he have worldwide manufacturing responsibility?

 

A director of "new footprint construction" very clearly delineates this role overseeing construction in new locations (expanding the footprint) as opposed to construction at existing sites, which would likely include new buildings like REVC.

 

Basically, think of this role as overseeing construction at Blue Oval City and Blue Oval SK Battery Park.

[Gurgeh]

I think we might be making too much of the "Director" issue. In today's corporate world of title inflation, isn't everyone at least a Director? Doesn't that just mean that Ford assigned someone to have a full time job overseeing the development of this site?

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, Gurgeh said:

I think we might be making too much of the "Director" issue. In today's corporate world of title inflation, isn't everyone at least a Director? Doesn't that just mean that Ford assigned someone to have a full time job overseeing the development of this site?

I am the director of Bronco rear quarter panel installation 

[HotRunrGuy]

1 hour ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

I am the director of Bronco rear quarter panel installation 

HRG