The Firm Provided Full Architecture / Engineering Services on New EV Assembly Plant
STANTON, Tennessee, March 29, 2023 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is excited to announce its attendance at Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval City LIVE event to celebrate the automaker’s new assembly plant, named the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center (TEVC), and BlueOval SK battery facility on-site. Part of Ford’s BlueOval City manufacturing complex, Ford’s TEVC resides on the 4,000-acre West Tennessee Regional Megasite in Stanton.
Ford is SSOE’s oldest client and one of America’s top electric vehicle (EV) brands. Ford and Walbridge selected SSOE to provide full architecture and engineering services with Walbridge serving as the design builder. Executed under a design / build contract, this exciting new complex is a vertically integrated ecosystem where Ford will assemble its next electric truck and batteries for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles. In addition to the 4 million SF design that included stamping, body shop, final assembly, battery pack build-up, and medium-voltage switchgear buildings, as well as ancillary structures, SSOE served as the engineer of record for the entire siteworks design of the 4,000-acre mega campus. The firm’s full scope of work includes preconstruction documents, detailed engineering, and construction administration.
Ford’s BlueOval City
LIVE event took place on Friday, March 24th, and was livestreamed on YouTube. SSOE’s Catherine Myers, PE, President and Chief Operating Officer, Matt Oberts, PE, LEED AP, Executive Vice President of Facilities Operations, and John Heidt, PMP, Senior Associate who serves as program manager and project manager on the Ford TEVC project, were on-site to celebrate alongside the client, project partners, local media, and Stanton community.
Myers shared, “There is a great deal of excitement around this facility and what it provides to the local community. Hearing from Ford executives about the Ford Community Fund investments as well as the workforce pipeline programs certainly reinforces the automaker’s commitment to the west Tennessee area. This was a great event celebrating the local community, state, and project team. We are very pleased to be a part of this innovative and important project.”
Oberts agreed, stating, “Ford’s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Plant is transformational for the U.S. EV market as a whole. SSOE is proud to be working in the multiple facets of this program and we look forward to providing continuous support from our Nashville office. It’s amazing to see the positive impact that Ford is having in the Stanton community—instilling a sense of optimism for the future and pride for the new products to come.”
When asked what he thinks contributed to the success of the project, Heidt commented, “Our team’s ability to collaborate and use the most innovative technology available allowed us to schedule out major deliverables in advance and work more seamlessly with our construction partner, Walbridge. Our longstanding relationship with Ford consisting of more than 650 projects in the last three decades also improves our ability to deliver projects for them—this wide range of projects includes everything from design studies to full assembly plants and everything in between.”
At its peak, SSOE assembled a dedicated team of more than 60 full-time employees to support the detailed design phase of the project. The TEVC complex will significantly support EV production in the Southeast U.S. and create close to 6,000 new jobs in Tennessee. Ford plans to begin production at BlueOval City in 2025.
Making its Mark with Ford’s Seal of Approval
SSOE’s work on the West Tennessee Regional Megasite, formerly known as the Memphis Regional Megasite, dates back to 2007. The firm worked with the State of Tennessee to develop the site and provided ongoing support as potential clients evaluated it. SSOE was also involved with water and wastewater infrastructure projects specific to the site for over a decade. Notably, the firm provided the civil design of Ford’s TEVC BlueOval roundabout, an idea SSOE presented to the client that makes Ford’s signature emblem shape—originally used to advertise Ford as the “hallmark for reliability and economy”—visible from the air.
