Mark Fields revealed last week during his
update speech detailing Ford’s progress with its “Way Forward Plan” that two Blue Oval plants will be
idled in 2008. The two plants affected include the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, MN and the Norfolk Assembly
Plant in Virginia.
One word can sum up why these plants were chosen to be idled: inflexibility. Both were
built in 1925 around the time dirt was invented. Though the Norfolk plant assembles the F-150, the best selling vehicle
in history that’s on pace to sell a record 900,000 units for the third year in a row, Ford realized that flexible
manufacturing at fewer plant sites could maintain its full-size truck production. The Twin Cities plant, however, was
betrayed by its own product – the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series small pickups. Ranger sales are down 15.9 in the
first quarter and the aged trucks haven’t received a major redesign since 1992 (MY1993).
The idling (read:
closing) will affect 4,318 hourly and salaried workers. Ford did say that it would reveal its plans surrounding a
Ranger replacement closer to the time the Twin Cities plant goes dark in 2008.
Follow the jump for some
additional stats and a history of production for each plant.
[Source: Ford]
[Photo: AP Photo/Janet
Hostetter]
Plant Name: Norfolk Assembly Plant
City: Norfolk
State: VA –
Virginia
Country: USA
EMPLOYMENT
Current Total Employment: 2,433
Hourly: 2,275
Salaried: 158
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Current Products: Ford F-150
Year Opened: 1925
Site Size in Acres: 102
Plant Size in Square Feet: 2,625,152
Product History: Model-T,
full-size sedans, station wagons, F-150, F-250, F-350
Plant
Name: Twin Cities Assembly Plant
City: St. Paul
State: MN – Minnesota
Country: USA
EMPLOYMENT
Current Total Employment: 1,885
Hourly: 1,750
Salaried: 135
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Current Products: Ford Ranger, Mazda B-Series
Year Opened: 1925
Site Size in Acres: 148
Plant Size in Square Feet: 2,144,932
Product History: F-Series
Trucks, LTD, Galaxie, Country Squire Wagon, Country Sedan Station Wagon, Starliner, Del Rio, Fairlane 500, Sunliner,
Crown Victoria, Crestliner, School Bus Chassis, Custom, Sportsman, Duluxe and Super Deluxe, Phaeton, Model A cars and
AA Trucks, Model T cars and TT Trucks.