Ford Motor Co. announced Monday it is changing the name of one of its components plants in southeast Michigan to reflect the automaker’s transition to electrified powertrains.
The Van Dyke Transmission Plant in Sterling Heights will now be known as the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center, according to a news release.
The name change reflects the plant’s addition of lines dedicated to producing electric motors and transaxles for hybrid and all-electric vehicles, including the forthcoming electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck that Ford unveiled last week.
Van Dyke, which opened in 1968 and employs about 1,050 people, for decades has made suspension components and transmissions for Ford’s internal combustion engine vehicles. Within the past 10 years, the plant added transmissions for hybrid vehicles as well.
The plant makes transmissions for vehicles including the Ford Transit, Edge, Escape, EcoSport, Mondeo, Kuga, S-Max, Galaxy and Lincoln Corsair, according to Ford.
The Dearborn automaker last year announced it would invest $150 million in the Van Dyke plant to build e-motors and e-transaxles beginning this year, a move it said would retain 225 jobs there.
Ford said Monday that full production on electric motors at Van Dyke is slated for this summer. The electric transmission is scheduled to launch early next year. Production of parts for internal combustion vehicles will continue there as well.
“The advanced technology we are using at the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center is taking us to the next level for Ford’s electric future,” John Savona, vice president of manufacturing and labor affairs for Ford, said in a statement. “The electric transformation we are making now is going to allow us to scale quickly as customer interest grows for our new electric vehicles.”
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com
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