Blue Oval City in Tennessee
advances with carbon neutrality
    
(May 15, 2024) STANTON, Tenn. — Ford’s BlueOval City campus in Stanton, Tenn., is taking shape as robotic training cells, conveyors, paint spray booths and stamping press lines are installed at the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant.  As the work in the plant progresses, Ford is prioritizing education, environmental protection and local engagement to help ensure West Tennessee residents benefit from the growth BlueOval City will bring.

“We have been humbled by the warm hospitality extended to us by our new neighbors in West Tennessee,” said Kel Kearns, plant manager, Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center at BlueOval City. “As the company that helped create the American middle class, we want residents in every community around the region to benefit as BlueOval City comes to life.”



Ford plans to develop local talent for jobs at the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center through its BlueOval Learning initiative. Training will be comprehensive, with online, classroom and hands-on segments designed to prepare employees to operate, maintain and troubleshoot equipment in their areas.

The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center will use the latest Ford manufacturing equipment, so employees will train on machine vision systems for robot guidance and quality assurance, automated pick-and-place material handling, sealer and adhesive dispensing systems and various automated mechanical joining technologies, among several other manufacturing processes.

The company will begin hiring hourly employees in 2025 to ensure employees are on board and trained to support customer deliveries of the next-gen electric truck beginning in 2026.

Prospective employees can meet with Ford representatives at the new Ford Tennessee Discovery Center in Brownsville, Tenn., once it opens later this year. Community members also will be welcome to experience advanced manufacturing through virtual reality simulations at the Discovery Center.

As construction of BlueOval City progresses in Tennessee, Ford’s vision for an efficient and carbon-neutral manufacturing facility is becoming a reality. From its earliest conception, BlueOval City was designed to help minimize impact on the local environment and to protect the local community.

“We recognize the significance of farming, fishing and hunting in West Tennessee,” said Blake Newbill, senior environmental engineer, Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center. “And we understand that part of being a good neighbor is caring for the air, water and land so these important resources are preserved for our community.”

Ford is investing in carbon-free and renewable electricity in West Tennessee to help strengthen the local energy grid and reduce air emissions. The company’s goal is for the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center assembly plant to use carbon-free electricity.

New technology aims to help reduce the amount of electricity needed to manufacture vehicles, including innovations that will capture and reuse heat from the site’s utility infrastructure and geothermal energy system to provide heat for the assembly plant — saving about 300 million cubic feet of natural gas typically needed each year to heat similarly sized vehicle assembly plants.