ROMEO, MICH. -- Quick -- name a famous auto assembly line worker.
If you said Ron Anderson or Gary Smith, chances are good you own an SVT Cobra -- Ford's high-performance Mustang.
Sequestered in a small building at Ford's engine complex in Romeo, Anderson and Smith work on the exclusive "niche line" -- where every SVT Cobra engine since 1996 has been assembled by hand.
Anderson, Smith and a handful of co-workers have gained a measure of fame among Cobra enthusiasts because each car's engine bears a small metal plate with their signatures.
Nearly 1,300 workers toil on Romeo's primary production line, churning out 2,500 V-8 engines a day. But Anderson, Smith and seven other workers are the only assemblers who routinely receive fan mail.
"It's just amazing," said Smith, 53, a Ford employee for 30 years, who has spent the last four years on Romeo's niche line.
This summer, their fame among Ford enthusiasts is expected to reach new heights when the $140,000 (U.S.) Ford GT begins arriving in showrooms.
Earlier this summer, workers launched production of the 550-hp 5.4-litre V-8 that propels the two-seat GT to a top speed of 205 miles an hour. Ford plans to build slightly more than 1,000 GTs a year.
The complexity of high-performance engines led Ford to establish the niche line in Romeo. Each unit is meticulously hand-built to ensure quality and precision.
The high combustion pressure generated by the massive Ford GT engine subjects pistons to searing heat. To manage the extreme temperatures, oil is squirted on pistons through tiny openings -- which are labour-intensive to install.
"If you tried to put this in the main line, you'd get a lot of resistance," said Curt Hill, power train engineering supervisor at the plant.
Workers on Romeo's main production line have about 14 seconds to complete an assembly task. And they repeat those tasks over and over as engines snake through the assembly line.
On the niche line, workers have nearly six minutes to complete a task -- and they move along with the engine to the next station. Working in pairs, they're responsible for building the entire engine.
Quality control remains a constant priority. To motivate the small crew of assemblers, Ford decided workers would sign each engine the way an artist finishes a masterpiece -- but only if quality was up to par.
"That's the ultimate sign of pride in workmanship," said Mike Eller, customer relations manager responsible for the niche lines operations.
Each workers' signature has been duplicated on a stamp, which is used to emboss a metal plate that also bears the logos of Ford and the United Auto Workers union.
"If we don't feel that it's right, we'll put a stop-build on it because my name's going on it," said Anderson, a 55-year-old Leonard, Mich., resident, who's also spent 30 years working at Romeo -- the last three on the niche line.
For Ford, the approach has been effective. Based on data tracked over the last 18 months, the SVT Mustang Cobra, which is on a production hiatus until the 2006 model year, had no warranty engine replacements linked to assembly.
Ford is banking on the GT's engine to meet the same standard. When Cobra owners and enthusiasts visit the niche line, workers get the rock-star treatment.
