The automaker plans to hire 1,000 workers to install a new maintenance system at a factory in northern Illinois, the company said Thursday.

The 1,600 workers will be paid between $11 and $18 an hour and are required to perform maintenance on all vehicles and parts in the facility.

The workers will perform all work in the plant from March 20 through September 9.

Ford said the move is part of a broader effort to make maintenance more efficient and safer.

We’re investing to make sure that our maintenance process, including its overall safety and reliability, is safe and secure for our customers, Ford said in a statement.

Automakers have faced increasing scrutiny over safety issues at their factories, including the deaths of more than two dozen workers in recent months.

In September, an engineer was killed in an air conditioning vent in a Ford vehicle in California.