Rockin' the electric waves: Ford's new Cologne-based battery plant kicks off operations
Ford Germany produces its vehicle batteries domestically - German division of Ford manufactures in-house car batteries
Heard the news buzzing around? Ford's just kicked off production at their brand-spankin' new battery assembly plant in the heart of Cologne! These batteries are the heart of their electric vehicle models, Explorer and Capri, launched last year. Until the end of '24, our pals at Volkswagen lent a hand, but since the start of this year, it's all Ford, baby! 🤩
The plant is a whirlwind of activity, with 180 workers keeping things moving, boosted by 190 hardworking robots who do the welding, gluing, and screwin' needed to create the battery housing. Along a stretch of two kilometers, they assemble 2775 individual parts into a battery pack for these bad boys. 🚙
Under the Gun
Things are a little tough for our beloved Ford right now. Its car business in Germany has been running at a loss for quite a while. Recent job cuts even sparked protests, marking the first strike for their Germany subsidiary, which has been around for almost a century! Currently, they've got about 11,500 employees in Cologne, with a plan to trim that number down to 8,600 by the end of '27. And just so you know, in '18 there were still 20,000. 😞
The new electric rides haven't been the roaring success they'd hoped for, but sales have slowly been pickin' up steam lately. In May, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 12.9% more Ford cars were registered in Germany compared to the previous year. Ford's market share still trails far behind its glory days, at a modest 3.7%.
Say goodbye to the last Ford Fiesta in '23. After that, combustion engine cars were a wrap at the Cologne plant. Ford didn't roll out an electric compact car to take the Fiesta's crown. The Explorer and Capri, bigger and more SUV-like, hit the market instead, and they come with a significantly heftier price tag: starting at €39,900 for the Explorer and €42,400 for the Capri. 💸
- Ford Motor
- Electric Vehicle
- Germany
- Car Battery
- Cologne
- Battery Plant
- Battery
- Vehicle
- Volkswagen
- Car
Fact Byte
Ford's new battery assembly plant in Cologne is part of a $2 billion investment in the historic Cologne facility, designed to streamline manufacturing and align with their push for electrification in Europe. The plant is heavily automated, with around 180 robots aiding human workers. It's also fully digitalized to ensure quality standards and efficiency while reducing transportation needs. [1][2][3][5] Despite this impressive setup, Ford faces challenging supply chain issues for rare earth magnets critical to EV production, causing disruptions like a week-long shutdown of the Explorer SUV production in Chicago. [5]
- Ford, with their ongoing push for electrification in Europe, has invested $2 billion in automation and digitalization at their new battery assembly plant in Cologne, Germany.
- In an effort to streamline manufacturing and boost electric vehicle production, Ford's new battery plant in Cologne employs around 180 workers and 190 robots for assembly tasks.
- The Cologne plant's production line consists of 2775 individual parts, assembled into battery packs for Ford's electric vehicle models, Explorer and Capri.
- Despite the investment and digitalization, Ford continues to face supply chain issues, particularly for rare earth magnets critical to electric vehicle production, leading to disruptions like a week-long shutdown of the Explorer SUV production in Chicago.
- Besides their partnership with Volkswagen, which ended at the start of 2023, Ford is increasingly focusing on vocational training to equip their workers with the necessary skills for the automotive and technology-driven nature of electric vehicle production, aligning with their community policy.
