# Ford invests $1B in Kentucky Truck Plant paint shop **Published:** 2026-09-10T17:08:25.000Z **Source:** [Office of the Governor](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2835) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/ford-invests-1b-in-kentucky-truck-plant-paint-shop LOUISVILLE, Ky. — [Ford Motor Company announced a $1 billion investment](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2835) to build a new state-of-the-art paint shop at its Kentucky Truck Plant, continuing a major capital commitment to the state's largest manufacturing operation. The new facility will replace the existing paint shop at the Louisville-area plant and is designed to improve paint quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability. Ford plans to break ground on the project by year's end, according to the announcement made Thursday. The Kentucky Truck Plant, located on Chamberlain Lane in east Louisville, is [Ford's largest and highest-revenue U.S. manufacturing facility](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/10/ford-1-billion-investment-kentucky-plant.html), producing F-Series Super Duty pickups, Ford Expedition SUVs and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The plant employs approximately 8,900 workers and manufactures a finished vehicle roughly every 45 seconds. "For more than a century, Ford and Kentucky have grown together, and we're investing to ensure that relationship remains strong for generations to come," Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. "These investments demonstrate our confidence in Kentucky's workforce, our commitment to American manufacturing and our belief that the future of mobility and energy will be built right here in the United States." The announcement follows Ford's approximately $2 billion investment to transform its [Louisville Assembly Plant into an electric vehicle manufacturing hub](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/11/ford-louisville-assembly-plant-ev-investment.html), where the company plans to produce a midsize electric pickup truck beginning in 2027. Ford has also committed approximately $2 billion in investment at Ford Energy Systems in Glendale, Kentucky, to produce battery energy storage systems. Combined, Ford's recent Kentucky investments total roughly $5 billion and represent major expansion of the company's manufacturing footprint in the state. Ford's total economic impact in Kentucky, including vendors and suppliers, exceeds $33 billion, according to the company. ## Sources - [Office of the Governor](https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2835) - [CNBC reporting on the $1 billion paint shop investment](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/10/ford-1-billion-investment-kentucky-plant.html) - [CNBC coverage of Ford's $2 billion Louisville Assembly Plant EV investment](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/11/ford-louisville-assembly-plant-ev-investment.html) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Office of the Governor, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream.aspx?n=GovernorBeshear&prId=2835.