Ford could invest $1.1B in Claycomo plant

Ford Motor Co. and United Auto Workers yesterday reached a four-year tentative labor agreement, a move that could spell good news for Missouri.

The agreement, subject to ratification by UAW members, calls for Ford to invest $1.1 billion at its Claycomo plant near Kansas City, creating 1,600 jobs, according to a news release from the governor's office.

The investment, which would retrofit the Missouri plant to allow it to build a next-generation vehicle and expand current operations, would expand the Claycomo work force to roughly 5,400 jobs.

Gov. Nixon's administration has been in negotiations with Ford for about a year. In summer 2010, the Missouri General Assembly passed the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act, allowing the state to provide economic tools to Ford and other auto manufacturers and suppliers working on next-generation vehicle production.

"This is a historic day for Missouri," Nixon said in the release. "Because of Missouri’s outstanding work force, our strong business climate and the tools included in the Missouri Manufacturing Jobs Act, workers will be building the next generation of Ford vehicles right here in the Show Me State."

The tentative agreement also has local implications, as companies such as Nixa-based Diversified Plastics Corp. produce parts for Ford's Claycomo plant, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Diversified Plastics President Ken Magers could not be reached for comment by deadline.[[In-content Ad]]