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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 7, 2013 | 6 | photo courtesy Ford of Canada | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) The assembly line, left, as it appeared in Ford of Canada's Oakville Assembly Plant in 1953 when the facility opened in Oakville. At right, engines on chassis are paired with bodies along the line at Ford's Oakville Assembly Complex as it operates today. continued from p.4 The year McDonald was hired, the facility produced 122,000 cars. Since that time, production has more than doubled with 244,000 vehicles built in 2012. Employees boast that every 50 seconds a completed vehicle rolls off the line. The assembly plant currently employs more than 2,800 people and manufactures the Ford Edge, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKX and Lincoln MKT, which are shipped to 80 countries worldwide, including Brazil and China. Plant Manager Will Cowell touts all these achievements and greets the plant's 60th anniversary with much enthusiasm. "I just can't say enough. We are so excited and want to congratulate everyone," he said. Plant put Oakville on the map The road ahead looks bright for Ford in Oakville was nothing we could not resolve or fix in this plant. That's how we started our relationship, being open, honest, and looking towards the future. This is the last-standing Ford assembly plant in Canada and we want it to be here for another 60 years." When he was made OAC chairperson, Scott said he was able to convince the company to bring back awards to recognize employees who reach years of service milestones. The awards ceremony features a hot buffet lunch and the employees being recognized often invite their family members. Scott, who has worked at the plant for three decades, said these awards are important because they show people they are appreciated and are not seen as a mere number -- a sentiment, which he said many at Ford had in the past. When asked if there was ever any doubt the plant would make it to its 60th anniversary, Scott said the workers had always given him reason to be optimistic. "The auto industry is up and down, but I believe, personally, we have the best workforce in the world right here in Oakville and I've never doubted this plant would remain here," he said. "I personally believe this plant will be here for at least another 60 years, based on the relationship we have with the company and what we are going to be doing in the future. I think we'll stay." Ford is their pride and joy During the Oakville Beaver's tour, the pride the assembly plant employees take in their work became clear when Cervoni lovingly caressed a newly-built Ford Edge as he passed by it. Cervoni, a 24-year veteran of the assembly plant, said when he began working there, it was under the mentorship of his father. While the senior Cervoni has since retired, his son said his dad is still interested in what is happening at his former workplace. "There's a lot of that in this plant... generations (working together)," he said. One of the changes Cervoni has seen during his time with Ford is a switch from using hydraulic robot arms to electric versions during the assembly process. The old arms, he said, would leak and squeal and their production was not always uniform. Cervoni said the new robots are much better for the environment, better for the workers and more precise. With 24 years to his credit, Cervoni said he has had an amazing career to date. A great future ahead "Ford is a great place to work. There's a future. I've been given opportunities that some of my peers don't get. I have a fantastic benefits package and a fantastic pension plan after all these years," he said. "I've learned so much with everything, from manufacturing to being a production supervisor, industrial engineering to now working with new products in launch and working with our global Ford production system and having great opportunities like today to be able to show off this place to people like yourselves." The horizon appears to hold only good things for the assembly plant, which received a $700-million investment from Ford of Canada and the federal and provincial governments in September. The money will be used to expand the plant's manufacturing capacity so it can meet global demand. Ford is not keeping this success to itself. Cowell said the Oakville Ford Assembly Complex employees, particularly the unionized workers, are the largest contributors to the United Way of Oakville -- providing approximately $500,000 to the organization each year. The assembly plant is building a commemorative yearbook to recognize all the employees who have made the 60th anniversary of the facility a reality. The yearbook is also intended to serve as a record. So, 60 years from now, Ford employees can look back and see how the work was done. "Before this plant came, they talked about Oakville as this sleepy, vacation-type resort town and when this place came in 1953, Oakville got built up. The plant really brought a lot of business with it. The plant itself has just grown so much. "All the technology that's changed. You can just imagine, we've gone from the Monarch and the Mercury to these beautiful high-technology cars -- the Edge, Flex, MKX and MKT Lincolns. Then there's the technology. Who would have ever thought we would have cars that park themselves?" Safety is another aspect that has changed over the years, with Cowell noting that, in 1953, employees were required to lift entire muffler systems for cars -- exposing them to a variety of potential back problems. Today, ergonomic hoists and tools eliminate those risks. Labour relations have also improved over the years, said OAC Plant Chairperson Bob Scott. Over the years, there has been conflict, admitted Scott. That has changed in recent years. "When Will Cowell came to this plant, we sat down, we had a meeting and we decided there Body Leader Dave Couture unloads dash panels during a recent Oakville Beaver tour of the Ford assembly complex. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog)