Ford is to invest $1 billion in a new paint shop at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, replacing the existing facility as part of a major modernisation programme.
Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2026. Ford said the upgraded operation would improve paint quality, increase efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of production.
The Kentucky Truck Plant is Ford’s largest and highest-revenue manufacturing site in the United States. A vehicle leaves its assembly line roughly every 45 seconds, with the facility producing F-Series Super Duty pick-ups, Ford Expedition SUVs and Lincoln Navigator SUVs.
The plant currently employs about 8,900 people, according to Ford’s latest figures. The company said the investment reflected its confidence in the workforce and its long-term commitment to manufacturing in Kentucky.
“For more than a century, Ford and Kentucky have grown together, and we’re investing to ensure that relationship remains strong for generations to come,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s president and chief executive.
“These investments demonstrate our confidence in Kentucky’s workforce, our commitment to American manufacturing and our belief that the future of mobility and energy will be built right here in the United States.”
Ford’s wider investment in Louisville
The announcement comes as Ford carries out a separate transformation of its nearby Louisville Assembly Plant. The site is being retooled to use the company’s Universal EV Production System and is expected to build the Ford Fathom, a mid-sized electric pick-up due to launch in 2027.
That project represents an investment of about $2 billion and is expected to create approximately 2,200 jobs, while a further $2 billion investment at a former battery manufacturing site in Glendale, Kentucky, is intended to establish a large-scale producer of battery energy storage systems.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the new paint shop demonstrated Ford’s continuing commitment to the state and its manufacturing workforce. The company’s operations in Kentucky date back to 1913, when the first Model T rolled off a production line in Louisville.
