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The O akville Beaver, Friday F e b ru a ry 17, 2 0 0 6 - 3 Oakville-built hybrid may give Ford Edge over competition Continued from page 1 decision for the environment and our Oakville operations." Specific product details for the Canadian-made hybrids will be revealed closer to launch. Ford's current hybrid lineup is classified as "full hybrids" with a number of key technological features. "Our employees are ready to lead as innovators," said OAC plant manager Frank Gourneau. "Hybrid vehicle production joins a list of innovations at Oakville that include flexible manufacturing, on-site research and development and an initiative to convert paint fumes to clean electricity. We are committed to building the first and best hybrids in Canada for con sumers around the world." The announcement in 2004 of the creation of OAC lifted a dark cloud that had been hanging over the site for two years. In addition to Ford's own finan cial backing, the OAC became a reality only after multi-million dol lar commitments from both the Canadian and Ontario govern ments for a total investment. of approximately $1 billion. It involves the establishment of a next-generation flexible manufac turing system and a unique OAKVILLE HAS THE EDGE: Ford of Canada president and CEO Bill research and development center. American International Auto Show in Detroit. Ford then confirmed last month at the 2006 North American Oakville faced competition for International Auto Show in Detroit "We are committed to that the OAC -- Ford Motor the .flex plant from Mississippi, building the first and best Company's first flexible assembly "Georgia, Alabama and Mexico. hybrids in Canada for The flexible manufacturing sys plant in Canada -- had been select consumers around ed to build the Edge and Lincoln tem will be capable of producing up to four different vehicles based MKX. the world." j Except for fewer than 200 1936 on two unique product platforms. It's expected to make a significant Lincoln Zephyrs built in Windsor, OACplant manager i only Ford and Mercury vehicles contribution to Ford's drive to pro Frank Goumeau · ; have ever been made in Canada in duce a surge of new vehicles, faster and more efficiently. The R-and-D Centre - the first the past 102 years. Reprogrammable tooling will of its kind in Canada - will focus on Edge and MKX go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2006 and will join allow Ford to respond quickly to converting emissions into electric the Ford Freestar and Mercury changes in market demand with ity through fuel cell technology. Monterey as the models built in out the traditional lengthy and For one of its initial projects, Ford expensive plant retooling. engineers and researchers, in part Oakville. Osborne with the 2007 Ford Edge when it was introduced at the 2006 North nership with Canadian research institutions, will focus on develop ing a large-scale stationary fuel cell system that will convert paint shop emissions into a hydrogenrich fuel to generate electricity. This "Fumes-to-Fuel" system will significantly reduce emissions While generating new electricity at OAC. Then last month, Ford announced Oakville had been spared from massive, continentwide layoffs and plant closures. As part of the "Way Forward" plan - the firm's second restructur ing in four years - Ford will close 14 factories in North America and cut between 25*000 and 30,000 jobs by 2012. The closings will include assem bly plants in Atlanta, St. Louis and Wixom, Michigan, plus two unidentified plants by 2008, the company said. Prior to the announcement, Oakville was considered probably the safest of any Ford plant in North America because of the automaker's-commitment to trans forming it into a flexible manufac turing facility. THINKING OF RENOVATING... W ® A B B T O U R C U S T O M F D tin A lC K S P E O M fflfB BERORE Carrier > OAKVILLE T O W N CENTRE I 3 0 0 N o rth S e rvic e Rd. W . a t D o rv a l · 9 0 5 -8 4 4 -1 2 2 3 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK *SEE STORE FOR DETAILS N o r t h S e r v ic e R o a d O ak Town / N C e n tre 1 j QEW OAKVILLE kow \e'Q c o m f o r t mmmmm j