Norfolk Assembly was a Ford manufacturing plant that opened on April 20, 1925 on the Elizabeth River , near downtown Norfolk, Virginia , eventually closing in 2007 after manufacturing more than 7.9 million cars and trucks over almost a century of production.
41-515: Modeled after the River Rouge Plant , the facility eventually included a power house, water treatment plant, barber shop, safety-shoe store, restaurant, fitness center and TV studio. At the time of its closure, Ford employed more than 2,600 people at the 2,800,000-square-foot (260,000 m) facility. Ford invested $ 375 million at the plant in 2002 to upgrade it for production of the redesigned eleventh generation 2004 F-150. Archival papers of
82-518: A $ 50 million mechanical treatment facility. GAZ GAZ or Gorkovsky avtomobilny zavod ( Russian : ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д , lit. ' Gorky Automobile Plant ') is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod , formerly known as Gorky (Горький) (1932–1990). It is the core subsidiary of GAZ Group Holding, which is itself part of Basic Element industrial group. JSC Russian Machines
123-567: A U.S. steelmaker. The new Dearborn Truck factory famously features a vegetation-covered roof and rainwater reclamation system designed by sustainability architect William McDonough . This facility is still Ford's largest factory and employs some 6,000 workers. Mustang production, however, has moved to the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan . Tours of the Rouge complex were
164-540: A large assembly plant in Norfolk, projecting an initial investment of $ 300,000 ($ 7.4M in 2017 dollars), estimating an annual assembly of more than 2,000 cars and identifying several suitable sites. The Mayor of Norfolk, S. Heth Tyler, drove the first Model T off the Norfolk Assembly line on April 20, 1925. At the time, the plant was the largest non-seafaring-related manufacturing enterprise in Norfolk. During its first year,
205-411: A long tradition. Free bus tours of the facility began in 1924 and ran until 1980, at their peak hosting approximately a million visitors per year. They resumed in 2004 in cooperation with The Henry Ford Museum with multimedia presentations, as well as viewing of the assembly floor. The Ford Rouge Factory Tour had 148,000 visitors in 2017. Hourly workers from both Ford and Cleveland Cliffs facilities at
246-617: A new assembly facility on the Miller Road side of the complex, currently producing Ford F-150 pickup trucks. The River Rouge complex manufactured most of the components of Ford vehicles, starting with the Model T. Many of the vehicles were compiled into " knock-down kits ", then sent by railroad to various branch assembly locations across the United States in major metropolitan cities to be locally assembled, using local supplies as necessary. After
287-540: A three cars on a demonstration drive from Moscow to the Crimea, two automatic models and a manual. It was launched in 1956 and became a symbol of the whole Soviet epoch. The car offered front seats able to fold flat and came standard with cigarette lighter and a radio at a time when most American-built cars did not have a radio. A small number of Volgas with the 195 hp (145 kW ; 198 PS ) Chaika engine, automatic transmission , and power steering were built for
328-488: A three-story structure, is part of the legendary Dearborn Assembly Plant, which started producing Model A's in the late 1920s and continued production of Ford full-sized coupes and sedans through 2004. After the war, production turned to Fordson tractors . Although the Rouge produced nearly all the parts of the Model T , assembly of that vehicle remained at Highland Park . It was not until 1927 that automobile production began at
369-673: Is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan , along the River Rouge , upstream from its confluence with the Detroit River at Zug Island . Construction began in 1917, and when it was completed in 1928, it was the largest integrated factory in the world, surpassing Buick City , built in 1904. It inspired the Île Seguin Renault factory in 1920, the GAZ factory built in
410-528: Is expected that production will start in 2013. In February 2011, General Motors and GAZ Group signed an agreement on contract assembly of the new Chevrolet Aveo car at GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod. As of December 2012, production was underway with an expected annual production of 30,000 vehicles. In June 2011, Volkswagen Group Rus and GAZ Group signed a long-term agreement on contract manufacturing at GAZ plant with total investment of €200 million. It
451-562: Is planned to produce Škoda Yeti , the new Volkswagen Jetta and Škoda Octavia . The total production volume in the peak years will be about 110,000 vehicles. In November 2011, under the contract manufacturing agreement, GAZ started SKD assembly of Škoda Yeti; full-cycle production started in December 2012. In April 2019, GAZ asked for a $ 468 million bailout from the Russian government, saying that US sanctions on Oleg Deripaska and his assets put
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#1732886908034492-659: Is the controlling shareholder in OAO GAZ. In May 1929 the Soviet Union signed an agreement with the American Ford Motor Company . Under its terms, the Soviets agreed to purchase $ 13 million worth of automobiles and parts, while Ford agreed to give technical assistance until 1938 to construct an integrated automobile-manufacturing plant at Nizhny Novgorod . The factory was founded and production started on 1 January 1932. At
533-506: The Ford Model AA and Ford Model A , respectively. In 1933, the factory's name changed to Gorkovsky avtomobilny zavod , or GAZ, when the city was renamed after Maxim Gorky . The GAZ-A was succeeded by the more modern GAZ-M1 (based largely on the four-cylinder version of the Ford Model B ), produced from 1936 to 1942. The M letter stands for Molotovets ('of Molotov's fame'), it was
574-557: The KGB as the M23 , 603 were built in 1962–1970. As the car's leading engineer Boris Dekhtyar recalled, the new version of the Volga had improved brake pads and reached a higher top speed of over 170 km/h; it was well received. The new engine produced 195 h.p. at 4,400 rpm. In the 1960s GAZ plant renewed its truck range by launching such models as GAZ-52, GAZ-53 А and GAZ-66 . In the 1960s and 1970s,
615-419: The 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m ) Dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres (4.0 ha) of sedum , a low-growing groundcover . The sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal temperature of the building, saving energy. The roof is part of an $ 18 million rainwater treatment system designed to collect and clean rainwater annually, sparing Ford from
656-695: The 1930s in the Soviet Union , the Volkswagen factory near Fallersleben in Germany from 1938, the FIAT factory at Torino ( FIAT Mirafiori factory ) in Italy from 1939 as well as the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan, South Korea , which was developed beginning in the late 1960s. Designed by Albert Kahn , River Rouge was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for its architecture and historical importance to
697-399: The 1960s, Ford began to decentralize manufacturing, building several factories in major metropolitan centers. The Rouge was downsized, with units (including the famous furnaces and docks) sold off to independent companies, many still operating independently to this day. On May 26, 1937, a group of workers attempting to organize a union at the Rouge were severely beaten, an event later called
738-697: The Battle of the Overpass . Peter E. Martin 's respect for labor led to Walter Reuther , a UAW leader, allowing Martin to be the only Ford manager to retrieve his papers or gain access to the plant. The Rouge was one of only three locations where Ford manufactured the Mustang; the other sites were Metuchen Assembly in Edison, New Jersey , and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California . By 1987, only Mustang production remained at
779-466: The Dearborn Assembly Plant (DAP). In 1987 Ford planned to replace that car with the front wheel drive Ford Probe , but public outcry quickly turned to surging sales. With the fourth-generation Mustang a success, the Rouge was saved as well. Ford decided to modernize its operations. A gas explosion on February 1, 1999, killed six employees and injured two dozen more, resulting in the idling of
820-534: The Rouge complex have been renovated and converted to "green" structures with a number of environmentally friendly features. In the summer of 1932, through Edsel Ford 's support, Mexican artist Diego Rivera was invited to study the facilities at the Rouge. These studies informed his set of murals known as Detroit Industry . The plant's first products were Eagle Boats , World War I anti-submarine warfare boats produced in Building B. The original Building B,
861-537: The Rouge, with the introduction of the Ford Model A. During World War II the Rouge complex produced jeeps, aircraft engines, aircraft components and parts, tires and tubes, armor plate, and tractors. Other Rouge products included the 1932 Model B , the original Mercury , the Ford Thunderbird , Mercury Capri , and four decades of Ford Mustangs . The old assembly plant was idled with the construction and launch of
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#1732886908034902-447: The company had sold it for in 1942. As of 2004, the plant's productivity ranked 17th-best among 45 truck assembly plants, producing a truck in 22 hours, 54 minutes – 83 minutes faster than the national average, operating at 109 percent capacity compared with 94 percent in 2003. As late as December 2005, it had appeared that Norfolk Assembly would not be closing. The plant was represented by United Auto Workers Local 919. A drawing
943-601: The complex are represented by UAW Local 600. A fleet of three Ford-owned Great Lakes freighters initially named for the Ford grandsons and later renamed for top company executives, was based at the River Rouge Plant. The deckhouse of the SS Benson Ford was transported by crane barge to Put-in-Bay, Ohio and placed on an 18-foot cliff as a private home above Lake Erie. In September, 2020 Ford announced construction of
984-401: The industry and economy of the United States. The Rouge complex measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide by 1 mile (1.6 km) long, including 93 buildings with nearly 16 million square feet (1.5 km ) of factory floor space. With its own docks in the dredged Rouge River , 100 miles (160 km) of interior railroad track, its own electricity plant , and integrated steel mill ,
1025-423: The last vehicle built at the historic site. Demolition of the historic DAP facility was completed in 2008. All that remains is a 3000 place parking lot to hold light truck production from the new Dearborn Truck Plant. Today, the Rouge site is home to Ford's Rouge Center. This industrial park includes six Ford factories on 600 acres (2.4 km ) of land, as well as steelmaking operations run by Cleveland Cliffs,
1066-517: The late 1990s GAZ was deemed to be the best managed Russian automotive manufacturer. In November 2000 GAZ was acquired in a hostile takeover by SibAl . In March 2003 GAZ declared that the production of passenger cars was no longer a priority for the company, and plans to release a new GAZ-3115 model had been abandoned. In 2006, GAZ made a move on the LDV company based in Birmingham , England, and acquired
1107-480: The new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where their electric vehicles will be produced. In 2021, the vehicle center opened, and Ford's first all electric truck, the Ford F-150 Lightning , will be the first vehicle model produced there. In 1999, architect William McDonough entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to redesign its 85-year-old, 1,212-acre (490 ha) Rouge River facility. The roof of
1148-533: The noted industrial architect Albert Kahn (housed at the Bentley Historical Library , University of Michigan ) indicate that in 1934 Kahn's office prepared drawings for architectural work at Norfolk Assembly. Norfolk Assembly produced models including the Model T , Model A and school bus chassis. The last model manufactured at the plant was the F150 . As early as 1915, Ford Motor Company began planning
1189-528: The origin of the car's nickname, M'ka (эмка). During the war, GAZ assembled Chevrolet G7107 and G7117 (G7107 with winch) from parts shipped from the US under Lend Lease . At that time, GAZ engineers worked to develop an all-new car model to enter production once hostilities ended. Called the GAZ-M20 Pobeda (Victory), this affordably-priced sedan with streamlined, fastback styling, entered production in 1946 and
1230-556: The plant produced 29,519 automobiles. The plant closed down Model T production in 1927 to gear up for Model A production. On February 21, 1928, the Norfolk FORD Assembly Plant began its production of the Model A Ford. In 1942, Ford sold the plant to the federal government for $ 2 million and it became the Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot. Ford repurchased the plant in 1946 for $ 400,000 less than
1271-554: The plant was overhauled and updated; 1962 saw it fitted with the Soviet Union's first automated precision shop. In 1994 the plant started production of GAZelle light commercial vehicles. The plant became AvtoGAZ , with the integration of its various subcontractors , on 24 August 1971; the same year, it was awarded the Order of Lenin . GAZ produced its ten millionth vehicle in March 1981. In
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1312-486: The power plant. Michigan Utility CMS Energy built a state-of-the-art Power Plant across Miller Road to replace the electricity and steam production, as well as the blast furnace waste gas consumption of the original power plant. As it ended production, Dearborn Assembly Plant was one of six plants within the Ford Rouge Center. The plant was open from 1918 to May 10, 2004, with a red convertible 2004 Ford Mustang GT being
1353-606: The production at the LDV plant was halted and the plant was sold to a Chinese company called ECO Concept in 2009. As then DaimlerChrysler modernized its Sterling Heights Assembly plant in 2006, the old Chrysler Sebring / Dodge Stratus assembly line and tooling was sold to GAZ and was shipped to Nizhny Novgorod in Russia . Since then GAZ car facility is used for contract manufacturing for Volkswagen and General Motors . In 2009, Bo Andersson , former Vice-President of General Motors ,
1394-447: The remaining 25 acres of the property. The Shaubach parcels were in turn sold to Bay Disposal, a trash collection and recycling company. 36°49′59.44″N 76°14′55.94″W / 36.8331778°N 76.2488722°W / 36.8331778; -76.2488722 River Rouge Plant The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex , River Rouge , or The Rouge )
1435-456: The site except the 662,000-square-foot main assembly building, making way for a mixed-use industrial project. In 2011, the main assembly building was purchased by Katoen Natie for $ 10.5 million to be used as a distribution hub for plastic pellets (nurdles) used in the manufacturing of plastic products. As of 2014, the final parcels of Norfolk Assembly were sold for $ 4.1 million to The Schaubach Companies. with Katoen Natie retaining an option on
1476-604: The time the factory was known as Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant , short NAZ ( Nizhegorodskiy avtomobilny zavod ), full name Nizhny Novgorod Automobile Plant named after V. M. Molotov ( Nizhegorodskiy avtomobilny zavod imeni V. M. Molotova ), after the Soviet minister Vyacheslav Molotov . In 1932 the plant produced its first automobiles, GAZ-AA (originally known as NAZ-AA, as they were manufactured before Nizhny Novgorod became Gorky) truck and GAZ-A passenger car (manufactured after Nizhny Novgorod became Gorky). The cars were based on
1517-494: The titanic Rouge was able to turn raw materials into running vehicles within this single complex, a prime example of vertical-integration production. Some of the River Rouge buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn . His Rouge glass plant was regarded at the time as an exemplary and humane factory building, with ample natural light provided through windows in the ceiling. Since the late 20th century, several buildings at
1558-644: The van maker from the venture capital group Sun European Partners, LLP in July of that year. GAZ said that they planned to market the MAXUS ( LDV 's new Panel-van that was released in January 2005) into the rest of Europe and Asia. GAZ proposed to increase production in the LDV plant in England, while also commencing production of the MAXUS in a new plant in Russia. However, due to the recession,
1599-529: Was held the last week of June 2007, for the last F150 produced at the plant. The truck, a red 2007 F-150 Lariat, was won by Corey Bauswell of Portsmouth, Virginia. The last F-150 left the assembly line just after 7 AM on Thursday, June 28, 2007. In March 2011, the assembly plant was sold to Jacoby Development, Inc. for $ 14.2 million. The development company renamed the facility the Virginia Renaissance Center and planned to demolish all structures on
1640-614: Was invited to become a President/CEO of GAZ Group. In 2010, GAZ upgraded its model range by launching new GAZelle-BUSINESS lineup with diesel and petrol engines and LPG equipment. In November 2010 the company decided to end production of the Volga Siber , its last GAZ passenger car model, and to discontinue the GAZ Volga range. In December 2010, GAZ Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Daimler on contract manufacturing of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod. It
1681-521: Was produced by GAZ until 1958. (Licensed production under the name Warszawa continued in Polish FSO until the 1970s). It was the first Soviet car with electric windshield wipers (rather than mechanical- or vacuum-operated ones). GAZ also made GAZ-12 ZIM , GAZ-21 and GAZ-24 Volga and the luxury cars GAZ-13 and GAZ-14 Chaika . The ZIM was the first GAZ car to feature the leaping deer hood ornament . The GAZ-21 made its public debut in 1955, with