FORD BOMBER PLANT

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 May 1942, Page 6

FORD BOMBER PLANT

WILLOW RUN WORKS. Mass production of great fourengined Consolidated Bombers is about to begin at the Ford Bomber Plant at Willow Run. Detroit —if indeed it has not already begun, (stated the April number of “New Zeaford News.”) May Ist full scale production was due to commence, and that was two months ahead of the original schedule. Euilt on a site where an experimental soya bean garden flourished as recently as 1941, Willow Run is by far the largest factory ol its kind in the world. Here arc some I acts: —• The cost of the building and equipment is estimated at 60,099,000 dollars. The total floor area including hangars is 3,700,000 square feet. I’ has 28 miles of crane tracks. Forests of new machine tools are springing up in its vast shops. Its airfield, from which finished bombers will fly direct to Army fields and shipping points, will have 11 miles of concrete runways. . When peak production is reached — possibly before the end ol this year—ll9.ooo people will be employed. Already production of aeroplane parts and tools has begun. But the speed with which Willow Run will turn out 'planes for war is more important than its size, On a single operation a wing section, for example. Ford engineers have already cut the working lime from 41 hours to 30 minutes. That is the kind ol victory that the huge Ford Willow Run factory is winning now—and will keep on'winning.