Today we visited two assembly plants. First, we visited the historic Ford River Rouge plant in Dearborn, MI. Henry Ford developed the Rouge to be totally self-sufficient in the process to build automobiles. They brought in all the raw materials to produce the materials needed for automobile production. The Rouge now makes the Ford 150 pickup truck. They assemble one truck per minute throughout two work shifts each day. Videos provided the history of the Rouge, and all the steps in the process to manufacture cars. We saw the final stages as the parts are assembled, and the cars rolling off the assembly line.
At GM Hamtramck, we saw the Malibu and Impala being assembled. We toured the shop floor, being able to walk next to the assembly line, seeing how the parts are pieced together to create a car. GM Hamtramck assembles the Chevrolet Volt. Today was the last day of production of the first generation Volt, and we saw that car on the shop floor. The second generation Volt will start production soon. Thanks to Jamie Chatel, Hamtramck Safety Supervisor, and the other staff who led the tour.
