MARSHALL, Mich. — Fred Chapman has a message for Fordthat is plan to build a sprawling factory on the outskirts of this town to make the battery because Electric Car and which one? promises to recruit 2,500 people.
“We don’t need jobs,” he said.
That’s a surprising view from Chapman, a 62-year-old tool builder who has spent his career in manufacturing and has seen, over the decades, come home from factory. Other machines in the area closed, including a factory in Marshall that made auto parts where Chapman worked for nearly a decade. Now he goes to work as a factory worker in a nearby city.
One of the most enduring ideas in America’s industrial heartland was the need for a manufacturing renaissance to finally shake up the region’s “Rust Belt” image. And there are some signs that may be starting to happen.
According to the Census Bureau, construction spending on US factories has more than doubled over the past year, reaching an annual rate of nearly $200 billion in May.
President Joe Biden has made factory revival the focus of “Bidenomics,” and his administration has pushed through legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act, both of which provide direct funding and tax incentives for construction production.
Manufacturing now accounts for nearly 13 million jobs in the United States, the highest since 2008. But that negates the fact that factory jobs are increasingly making up a small portion of the U.S. job market, accounting for only over 8.3% of jobs as of June, the lowest rate ever.
Many new factories are now springing up enormously, involving billions of dollars in investments and creating thousands of jobs. Developers call these “super locations” and there’s been a surge in building them across the US
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However, Ford officials have faced opposition to its plans, in the latest iteration of a phenomenon known as NIMBY, short for “Not In My Back Yard.”
“It’s a trend we’re seeing across the country,” said Gabby Bruno, Ford’s chief economic development officer, and one that has really exploded recently due to some of these mega-locations finally. has been developed, especially in the field of clean energy. .”
Not everyone wants giant projects, even in places that seem ripe for a factory renaissance. Soon after Ford’s project was announced in February, anxious residents crowded into town meetings, demanding more details about what was to come. Signs appeared on the side of the road begging: “Stop Megasite.”
“The whole thing would be different if they brought the community into the discussion,” said Glenn Kowalske, a retired engineer and one of the local leaders of the group against the project.
Opponents argue that the project was approved in a hurry and could cause environmental damage. It was built on old farm fields and woods beside a winding river just outside the city. Some worry the new battery technology could lead to accidents, allowing lithium to seep into groundwater.
“I’m an engineer,” said Kowalske, “I know what lithium is – it’s a very volatile element.”
Ford’s Bruno says the automaker’s plant design includes plans for safety features like double-walled storage tanks, dedicated piping to collect industrial wastewater, and special fences to prevent the soil from flowing into the nearby Kalamazoo River.
Critics also balked In the involvement of a Chinese company In the project: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. Ford has a license to use CATL’s technology in the factory along with services provided by the Chinese battery giant.
Bruno countered that CATL’s involvement was “limited” and that the plant was 100% Ford’s.
The sheer size of the project is also a sore point. A piece of land about 750 acres has been planned for industrial development since the 1960s, and over the years other manufacturers have considered building a factory here. But as local economic development officials work with Ford and other potential investors, it becomes clear that they need a much larger footprint. They added two adjacent lots that add up to about 1,100 acres.
Bruno said only about 950 acres will be used by Ford, with part of that set aside as a reserve along the river. The rest has been set aside by economic development officials for suppliers and other developments.
To be sure, residents often oppose major development projects that threaten to change the character of their community. In some cases, they win, as happened when New York City residents rejected Amazon Inc’s attempt to build a second headquarters in the city.
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The more common outcome is delays, as local rivals bring legal challenges and introduce other roadblocks. In Marshall, residents petitioned to hold a referendum on the project, gathering more than 800 signatures in a city of 6,800 people. However, that effort stalled after the town rejected the petition. Activists are now suing.
James Durian, CEO of the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance, which led the development, said he understands that some residents have been startled by the size and speed of the project. But he thinks it was necessary to land Ford.
Durian said he understands concerns about China’s involvement in the project. The US has a hostile relationship with Chinabut he says it has become “a bit weird and paranoid.”
Sue Damron, owner of Schuler’s Restaurant and Pub in downtown Marshall, supports the project. She believes factory workers will move to Marshall to work for Ford. “People who come to work for Ford have wives and children,” she said. “They will give me the employee base to add to my small business.”
But Chapman, the toolmaker, remained skeptical. His house is across the street from Ford’s site, called BlueOval Battery Park, and he’s been approached about selling his home to developers. But he didn’t want to move.
Meanwhile, he sees a labor problem lurking. The unemployment rate in surrounding Calhoun County is 4.6% — higher than the national unemployment rate of 3.6% — but still low by historical standards. He noted that the factory he worked at, in nearby Battle Creek, struggled to find skilled workers.
“I am in the industry. I see,” he said, adding that his company has even recruited workers from Mexico to fill positions. “Strangely, there is no supply of workers.”
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