Ford Chicago Assembly Plant Celebrates 100th Anniversary: Video

The Blue Oval certainly has its fair share of milestones to celebrate each and every year, and 2024 is no exception. In fact, the Ford Chicago Assembly plant just turned 100 years old this past February, making it the automaker’s longest continuously operating plant in the U.S. – and earning a big nod from Ford CEO Jim Farley himself. Now, a few months later, the Ford Chicago Assembly plant is celebrating its centennial in a more official manner.

In this video from ABC 7 Chicago news, we get a closer look at that celebration, which included an open house that enabled the plant’s workers to come pay a visit. However, CAP looks quite a bit different than it did a century ago, as one might imagine, as it has gone from building Model Ts to the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator today. In fact, deliveries of both of those refreshed 2025 models just began, kicking off another era for the plant.

This celebration not only paid tribute to the fact that the Ford Chicago Assembly plant has been around for a whopping 100 years now, but also, recognized the trials and tribulations it has endured over that time period – including the the Great Depression, World War II, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, the future looks bright for the Chicago Assembly plant, which will continue to build the Explorer and Aviator, at a minimum, for years to come, as Ford Authority previously reported.

“So, the amazing employees that have worked here over the decades, it’s 100 years. They’ve produced 15 million cars. That’s a whole lotta work that went into it,” said Ted Ryan, Ford’s archives and heritage brand manager. “It’s been modernized continuously, and the people that work here are the backbone of the Ford system.”

We’ll have more on Ford’s assembly plants from around the world soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.