Ford plans $1 billion paint shop at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant

Ford plans to replace the existing paint shop at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville with a new $1 billion facility. The company plans to break ground by the end of 2026.

Announced Sept. 10, the project would modernize an existing operation at one of Ford’s major Louisville manufacturing sites. Ford says the new paint shop is intended to improve efficiency, paint quality and environmental performance.

Project would replace existing paint operation

The planned facility is not complete, and construction has not begun. The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development said Ford plans to break ground by the end of 2026.

The Kentucky Truck Plant produces Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups, along with Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Manufacturing industry coverage described the plant as Ford’s largest and highest-revenue U.S. manufacturing facility.

The state announcement identifies the paint-shop investment at $1 billion. Neither that announcement nor the independent report reviewed for this story provides a separate employment figure for the paint-shop project.

Paint-shop investment is separate from Louisville Assembly plan

Ford’s paint-shop announcement is separate from the company’s plans for the Louisville Assembly Plant.

Ford has announced an approximately $2 billion transformation of the Louisville Assembly Plant, including a commitment tied to approximately 2,200 jobs. That employment figure applies to the Louisville Assembly project, not the Kentucky Truck Plant paint-shop replacement.

Ford has not announced a separate new job total for the paint-shop project. Residents and workers should not assume that the $1 billion investment represents a specific new hiring wave.

Next milestone is planned groundbreaking

The next stated milestone is groundbreaking by the end of 2026. The available announcements do not specify a detailed construction schedule, project-specific workforce plan or operational transition timeline for the replacement paint shop.

For Louisville, the plan represents continued investment in the Kentucky Truck Plant and modernization of an existing part of the facility. Additional workforce details will depend on future announcements from Ford or public agencies.

Sources

• Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development: Ford announces $1 billion Kentucky Truck Plant paint shop
• Manufacturing Dive: Ford invests $1B in its key Kentucky plant
• Ford global plants and locations