The Foundry The Ford Windsor Casting Plant, or Foundry, as it is called locally, was built in 1934. The casting process requires skill and stamina as workers use furnaces to melt scrap iron and steel at extreme temperatures. Despite the demands of the job, generations of workers have been employed at the plant which continues to provide a good living for them and their children. The plant has been a primary source of high-quality castings, which now contain more than 95 percent recycled materials. The plant currently employs more than 1,000 men and women who produce 2.5 million crankshafts and 1 million cylinder blocks annually. by Steven Johnson, 2000