1,600 workers to be laid-off at Kentucky manufacturing plant
WKYT••business
Key Points:
- Ford will repurpose its Glendale battery manufacturing plant to produce advanced battery energy storage systems for data centers, utilities, and large industrial customers, with new capacity expected online within 18 months.
- The move follows the dissolution of Ford's partnership with South Korean battery maker SK On, with Ford taking full ownership of BlueOval SK in Hardin County as global EV demand slows.
- Approximately 1,600 workers will be laid off, but they can apply for jobs with the new Ford subsidiary operating the Glendale facility, which is projected to employ around 2,100 people—fewer than initially planned.
- Kentucky officials, including Gov. Andy Beshear and state representatives, expressed cautious optimism about Ford's takeover and the shift toward energy storage, emphasizing
