Ford to Begin Phased Production Restart on May 18
After FCA and General Motors, it’s now Ford’s turn to announce official dates and protocols for resuming vehicle production in North America.
The Blue Oval automaker has decided to progressively restart most of its plants in Canada and the U.S. starting on May 18, bringing back in the process the first wave of employees who are not able to do their jobs remotely.
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“We have reopened our facilities in China, successfully begun our phased restart in Europe and have been producing medical equipment in Michigan for more than six weeks and are using the lessons from all of that to ensure we are taking the right precautions to help keep our workforce here safe,” said Ford’s chief operating officer Jim Farley.
In this phased restart, the company’s North American parts depots will be fully operational again on May 11. Then, a week later, assembly plants previously operating on three-shift patterns will return with two shifts, while most other plants will return on one shift.
That’s the case of the Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan (Ford Mustang, Shelby GT350 and Lincoln Continental) and the Oakville assembly plant in Ontario (Ford Edge, Lincoln Nautilus), which are both expected to resume production the week of May 25 on one shift.
New health and safety protocols have been put in place with the support of the United Auto Workers (UAW). Employees will receive all the proper personal protective equipment along with a comprehensive “Manufacturing Return to Work Playbook.”
Before they leave the house each day, workers will have to self-evaluate their health using an online form and wait for authorization to go to work. Upon their arrival, they will pass through no-touch temperature scans.
Everyone entering a Ford facility will be required to wear a face mask. In some cases, including when social distancing is impossible, safety glasses with side shields or face shields will also be required. Furthermore, there will be more time between production shifts to limit interaction between employees and allow for additional cleaning.
Employees who are able to do their jobs remotely will continue to do so until advised otherwise, Ford explained.
