Ford Announces Plans To Hire 500 Workers At South Side Plants

CHICAGO, IL -- Ford announced plans to hire 500 workers on Chicago’s South Side, as the auto giant pumps $1 billion into two Chicago facilities. Workers will be building sports utility vehicles, Crain’s reported.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Ford CEO Jim Hackett at the Chicago Auto Show in outlining plans for a new body and paint shop at Chicago Assembly, and new stamping lines that will make Ford’s 2020 lines of Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator, news reports said.

Ford plans to rev up its SUV production by investing $40 million in an all-bew body and paint shop at the assembly plant and an all-new stamping line at the Chicago Assembly and stamping facility on the South Side. The upgrades are set to begin next month, ABC-7 Chicago reported. In addition, the automaker also plans to train the facility’s 8,500 workers with new skills.

"As Chicago continues to strengthen our diverse economy, Ford's commitment to add 500 jobs and infuse nearly a billion dollars into their Southeast Side assembly plant is a vote of confidence in our people and our future," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "The assembly plant is a local and regional economic engine where iconic American brands like the Lincoln Aviator and Ford Explorer are built. This investment is a testament to the strength and vibrancy of Chicago's manufacturing sector, and I look forward to Ford's presence in our city for generations to come."

~ Image via Ford