Following three years of work and the largest single investment by Ford, the Michigan Casting Center (MCC) opened in January 1972, at the time one of the most technologically advanced casting facilities in the world.
 Despite the sizable capital investment, frequent union labor problems and work injuries  and declining demand for the V8 engine blocks produced there led the facility's closure in 1981.

A worker, Robert Williams, was killed by an industrial robot arm on January 25, 1979.
He is the first known human to be killed by a robot.

Mazda Motor Corporation started construction of a new building on the site of the Michigan Casting Center in 1985 and cars started production at Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA in September 1987 with the Mazda MX-6 and Ford Probe coupes.
In 1991 the plant had 3,600 employees, including 250 Japanese employees.
Following three years of work and the largest single investment by Ford, the Michigan Casting Center (MCC) opened in January 1972, at the time one of the most technologically advanced casting facilities in the world.  Despite the sizable capital investment, frequent union labor problems and work injuries  and declining demand for the V8 engine blocks produced there led the facility's closure in 1981.
A worker, Robert Williams, was killed by an industrial robot arm on January 25, 1979. He is the first known human to be killed by a robot.
Mazda Motor Corporation started construction of a new building on the site of the Michigan Casting Center in 1985 and cars started production at Mazda Motor Manufacturing USA in September 1987 with the Mazda MX-6 and Ford Probe coupes. In 1991 the plant had 3,600 employees, including 250 Japanese employees.
Flat Rock Assembly Plant