US President George W. Bush visited the plant on March 20, 2007, to tout new hybrid cars and his energy policy.
Kansas City Assembly Plant (KCAP) is a Ford Motor Company automobile assembly facility which produces the Ford F-150 and the Ford Transit. It is located in Claycomo, Missouri, United States, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. It consists of 4.7 million square feet (440,000 m2) of production space and employs approximately 7,250 hourly workers represented by the United Auto Workers Local 249.[2] It is the largest car manufacturing plant in the United States in terms of vehicles produced.[citation needed][year needed]
History
The 4,700,000-square-foot (440,000 m2) on 1,270 acres (5.1 km2) facility employs approximately 7,250 people.[1] In addition to the main final assembly plant, KCAP also includes a stamping plant for the Ford Transit, a separate body shop and a separate paint shop for the Ford F-150. Plant tours were discontinued on September 12, 2001, the day after the September 11 attacks.
In December 2010, Ford announced moving production of the Ford Escape and Ford Escape Hybrid to the Louisville Assembly Plant, which underwent US$600 million in renovations. The move stirred fears that it could result in the loss of half the jobs at the 3,700-person plant.[3]
The Government of Missouri had been anticipating changes at the plant. In 2010, the state passed the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act providing tax incentives for companies that invest in plants in the state by allowing them to keep employee withholding taxes. While the bill would benefit all industrial businesses it was specifically targeting the plant and was introduced by Missouri State Representative Jerry Nolte, whose district includes the plant.[4] The bill could enable Ford to save $150 million across ten years by investing in the plant.[5] The bill had been the subject of a filibuster by Missouri State Senator Chuck Purgason who objected to the favoritism extended to Ford and read aloud sections of Allan W. Eckert's The Frontiersman into the record.[6]
A day after the announcement of the move of the Escape, Ford said a yet unannounced line would replace the Escape. In 2011, Ford said it would spend $1.1 billion on additions and upgrades, including a new stamping plant.[7] In 2012, it was announced that the plant would be the North American lead production site for the new Ford Transit, which replaced the discontinued Ford E-Series vans.
Products
Kansas City Assembly Plant opened in 1951 for military production. Converted to auto assembly in 1956, it began production as a consumer vehicle assembly plant in 1957. Since then, it has produced the following vehicles:
