CHICAGO — Lear Corp. has opened a new plant at Ford Motor Co.’s Chicago Manufacturing Campus. The facility supplies headliners and distributes package trays for the Ford Five Hundred sedan, Ford Freestyle all-purpose vehicle and Mercury Montego sedan.
Lear invested nearly $4 million to build the 53,760-square-foot facility, which employs 70 people. The facility is located one-half mile from Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant where the all-new models are built.
Lear is one of 12 suppliers participating in the 155-acre supplier manufacturing campus, the first of its kind for Ford in the U.S. The benefits associated with establishing a supplier park, according to the company, include reduced travel time and cost from supplier to customer, increased flexibility and quicker response to customer preferences, and elimination of the costs of packaging and the risk of product damage associated with long-distance freight hauling.
“Lear is proud to be among the select suppliers chosen by Ford to participate in the first supplier park for Ford in the U.S.,” said Bob Rossiter, Lear chairman and CEO. “The Chicago Manufacturing Complex is the ultimate example of the application of lean manufacturing concepts and is designed to improve the efficiency and quality of the production process. Ford’s decision to include Lear in this campus represents a vote of confidence in our role as its partner for world-class automotive interior systems.”
For more information about Lear, go to: www.lear.com.
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