River Rouge was developed as the principal plant for the Ford Motor Company, built between 1917 and 1938, designed for Henry Ford by Albert Kahn. Nearly 100,000 people worked here at its peak. 3.3 million tons of steel are still produced there, though the operation has been independent from Ford since the 1980s, and is now owned by Severstal Steel, a Russian company. Steel production takes place on either side of the canal, while today, the Ford F-150 pickup truck is made at the adjacent plant.