Expanded High-tech Wixom Plant builds Lincoln LS


2000 Lincoln LS

WIXOM, Mich.,  - The Ford Wixom Assembly Plant has been expanded, with added technology and flexibility, in order to build the new Lincoln LS at a quality level that will compete against vehicles in its class built anywhere in the world. 

• Wixom Assembly Plant is unique because three different vehicle platforms come down the same final assembly line -- unibody/rear-wheel drive LS, unibody/front-wheel drive Continental and body-on-frame Town Car.

• 500,000 square feet of floor space was added, including new material handling docks and conveyors. At 4.7 million square feet, Wixom is the largest Ford car assembly plant in North America.

• 417,000 square feet of the expansion is a new state-of-the-art body shop for the LS. It is highly flexible, and could accommodate an additional vehicle. LS will take 4278 welds, which could be a record -- but these welds will provide increased chassis rigidity to customers. Lasers will cut grill openings. 86 percent of the welds will be done by robots.

• A stand-alone water system for the LS body shop recycles water used in the welding process.

• More than 125 employees are being added to build the LS.

• At the launch of Lincoln LS, a new engine line will combine 15 engine and 7 transmission choices and send them to the right vehicle. That could expand by 5 more engines for future versions of the LS.

• A new highly-flexible "clamshell" transportation system closes around, picks up and moves car bodies for the three distinct vehicles through the chassis system. It can easily be adapted to future models.

• A new laser-guided system identifies the three car types, and automatically installs windshields and rear glass into the vehicles.

• New Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) have been added to make sure build tolerances are met.

• An automated storage and retrieval system for sequencing car bodies after they come out of the paint shop has been expanded. 30 percent of the parts for LS will be delivered in sequence from suppliers -- the next big step in Ford's In-line Vehicle Sequencing (ILVS) initiative. 23 different wiring looms arrive in sequence for LS.

• A color room has been built in the LS launch building to ensure perfect color match of arriving LS components.

• A new tire system will combine 17 tires and 20 rims and send them to the correct vehicle.

• New ergonomic systems for seat and spare tire installation have been added.

• Training to build LS began earlier and was more intensive than for previous vehicles. The perception was that "the old approach wasn't good enough." Craftsmanship and benchmarking of competitive vehicles were stressed.

• An inspection station for export LS vehicles was built.

• In paint, a new two-step sand polishing process was added to reduce swirl marks on LS. A new double clear-coat process is being used over dark LS colors.