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21 Here's a prime example of what they mean when you hear the men and women of Ford talk about "One Ford." The new 2015 Ford Edge was designed and engineered in Dearborn, Michigan. It is based on Ford's global midsize platform, CD4, which is also used for vehicles including the European Mondeo, which is close kin to the Fusion in North America. The Edge is being produced in Canada, at the Oakville Assembly Plant. Ford added 1,400 people to the plant and invested $700-million—Canadian—to retool and expand the facility. Edges built in Oakville are going to be shipped not only to North American markets, but to South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and, for the frst time, Western Europe. In all, more than 100 countries. Yes, other markets will get right-hand drive and a diesel engine.* Speaking of engines, the U.S. market will have three. There is a 280-hp, 3.5- liter V6. A 315-hp, 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6. And a 245-hp, 2.0-liter I4. The frst two engines are produced at the Ford Lima Engine Plant, Lima, Ohio. The last at the Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 in Brook Park, Ohio. This international focus in execution and marketing: That's "One Ford." So what about the Oakville plant? Oakville is about 22 miles southwest of downtown Toronto. The plant has been up and running since 1953. In addition to the Edge, Oakville Assembly, which has approximately 4,500 employees, is home to the Ford Flex, the Lincoln MKT, and is where the 2016 Lincoln MKX will be produced. Notably, not only were the 1,400 new hires given training to help them build the new Edge, but throughout the plant, employees were provided with training to handle the new systems and processes put in place. So what did the $700-million Canadian bring to the 5.5-million-ft 2 plant? They installed more than 250 new robots and upgraded 1,000 more. They're using robots to apply urethane to glass for purposes of consistent sealing to reduce wind noise. New robots are installing panels, doors and hoods, reducing process variability. Robots are laser brazing the ditch joint on the roof, to help provide a smoother fnish for the design. There are vision systems on the line to assure closure panel fushness. There is optical 3D dirt detection tech in the paint shop to locate any imperfections that might not be caught by the human eye. And at Oakville they have a keen eye on environmental approaches. It is the t Ford invested some $700-million (Canadian) to prepare the Oakville Assembly Plant for the production of the second-generation Edge. Among the technologies deployed is this camera-based system, which is used to fnd any dirt on the surface through the application of light at various angles. Some 3,150 images are captured in 15 seconds for each vehicle; these images are subsequently stitched together and used to generate a 3D image that is compared to a master, thereby locating any dirt on the surface. q The 2015 Ford Edge is designed to appeal to a wide range of customers, as it is available in more than 100 countries. Kevin George, who headed up the exterior design eforts for the midsize crossover utility, acknowledges that given the success of the frst-generation Edge, eforts were made to capture elements of its design in that of the new vehicle.