OAKVILLE, ON – Ford Motor Company made a big announcement yesterday that their Oakville Assembly plant will be receiving an $800-million investment ($700-million from Ford and the rest from the federal and provincial government) to expand its manufacturing capabilities.

This is all part of Ford’s “One Ford” global product plan that has seen several European vehicles come to North America, and vice versa, into Europe and Asia. This new investment will bring several new global models to the Oakville facility, but they didn’t specify which models they will be. 

Currently, the Oakville Assembly plant produces the Ford Edge, Ford Flex, the Lincoln MKZ and Lincoln MKT, which brings about 2,800 jobs. This announcement is a major boost for the workers at the plant, as those jobs will be secured with this announcement. There’s no talk of added jobs, but there will be plenty of work to go around once the new global models are added to production.

“This investment is helping us find much needed capacity for global products and securing jobs, and it is positioning Oakville as one of the most competitive and important facilities in the Ford system,” said Joe Hinrichs, president of The Americas. “Global fuel-efficient products, built in a state-of-the-art facility, by a great workforce are a win for everyone today.”

Furthermore, Hinrichs noted that this investment into Oakville would mean more purchases of Canadian-made auto parts increasing its sales by an additional $200-million.

The “One Ford” global plan will be put into action in Oakville and production will adjust accordingly based on consumer demand. The plant workers will not face line shutdowns and time away from work, because now they can change their focus from one car to the next in this flexible global approach.

“Ford’s investment demonstrates Canada can be competitive in the global market through strategic partnerships,” said Dianne Craig, president and CEO, Ford of Canada. “Working closely with government and labour, we have secured a bright future for our employees at Oakville Assembly.”

Since 2004, Ford has invested $2-billion in Canada and survived the automotive financial crisis without a government bailout. Ford is clearly doing things right and it’s nice to see that Canadian jobs have been secured for the foreseeable future.