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Ford revs up Essex engine plant with Ontario grant |
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 The Ontario government has announced it is providing an $81.2 million
grant to Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd.’s Essex engine plant in Windsor,
ON as part of a continuing revitalization program.
Under the initiative, called Project Renaissance, the province had
previously invested $17 million in March, 2008 that subsequently helped
re-open the shuttered engine plant.
According to the Ontario government, as a result of the $81.2 million
grant and other provincial financial contributions, the project will
create or retain 750 new jobs over the next five years.
“By being at the table as a proactive partner with Ford, we’ve been
able to bring the Essex engine plant back to life and transform it into
a leading-edge facility with a significant role in the company’s
long-term engine production and R&D plans,” Sandra Pupatello,
Minister of Economic Development and Trade, said in making the
announcement.
Dwight Duncan, Ontario’s Minister of Finance and MPP for
Windsor-Tecumseh, joined Pupatello in making the announcement. “This
investment reaffirms our government’s commitment to strengthening our
local economy and will get Windsor families back to work,” Duncan said.
The Project Renaissance initiative combines industry-leading flexible
manufacturing with the establishment of a North American Centre for
Diesel and Advanced Powertrain Technology, Research and Innovation.
Ford’s new R&D centre will work closely with University of
Windsor’s forthcoming Centre for Engineering Innovation (which is being
supported by a combined $80 million in provincial and federal funding),
in addition to other universities and private sector partners.
The plant will produce a fuel-efficient 5.0L V8 engine that will be used in the Ford Mustang GT sports car.
So far, Ford has announced investment plans of $590 million to support retooling the Essex engine plant.
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