Ford says its $2 billion overhaul of its Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky remains on schedule as the automaker prepares to begin production of a new generation of affordable electric vehicles.

The company expects the revamped facility to be ready in 2027 to produce the Fathom, an all-electric midsize pickup truck expected to cost less than $30,000. The vehicle will be the first Ford EV developed on the company’s new universal production platform.

Ford plans to begin building Fathom prototypes during the first quarter of 2027, with customer deliveries expected later in the year. Production-level equipment is already undergoing testing as the company prepares for the launch. The factory transformation represents a major change in Ford’s manufacturing strategy.

Instead of relying on the traditional moving assembly line system pioneered by founder Henry Ford, the company is introducing a new production approach developed by its advanced engineering team.

The new system uses a three-branch assembly structure. Large single-piece aluminum components will reduce the number of parts required, while separate sections of the vehicle will be assembled simultaneously.

One section will focus on the front of the vehicle, another on the rear, while a third will assemble the structural battery alongside components such as seats, carpeting and consoles. The sections will then be joined together toward the end of production.

Ford is also upgrading the plant’s digital infrastructure, nearly tripling Wi-Fi coverage to approximately 1,080 access points.
The improved connectivity is intended to support software-based quality checks and other high-bandwidth manufacturing operations.

According to Ford, the new system should allow the Fathom to be assembled approximately 15 percent faster than the vehicles previously produced at the Louisville facility.

Some Ford employees have already undergone months of training on the new manufacturing process at the company’s New Models Program Development Center in Allen Park, Michigan.

Source: TechCrunch