Ford To Build Futuristic Research & Engineering Center, Home To 20,000 Future Employees

Ford (F) has released its plans for a new Research & Engineering Center in Dearborn, Michigan. The new campus will be home to the automaker’s product development community.

The new center’s initial construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 with the central campus building to be finished in 2025, Ford said. More than 6,000 employees will be located at the new campus with plans for it to house 20,000 workers in the future.

With the development of the Research & Engineering Center, Ford said it will help the company “speed product and technology innovation and attract world-class talent.”

“From the Rouge to Highland Park in Detroit to Dagenham in the U.K., Ford has leveraged innovative workspaces and facilities to inspire our teams to invent the future,” Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett said in a statement.

“Our vision for our Dearborn Research & Engineering campus – and our new Corktown campus and Ann Arbor robotics lab – will enable Ford to lead the next era of transportation and personal mobility, and help us continue our founding mission of driving human progress through the freedom of movement,” Hackett continued.

Ford developed the new campus after two years of research and planning, using the principals of integration, interaction, and co-location. The company said the campus will build on its commitment to “connectivity, automation, electrification, and other technologies” that are driving changes in the automotive sector.

Plans for the campus include public spaces, shared pathways, coffee shops, restaurants, meeting areas, and communal spaces. The campus will also include flexibility to allow Ford to evolve to changes in the industry, the company said.

The company will also keep the campus pedestrian-focused with electrified bikes, scooters, and shuttles, evolving into autonomous vehicles, and other transportation developments.

Shares of Ford stock were down 0.05 percent as of 3:37 p.m. ET on Tuesday.