Production of Ford’s new 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks will shift from Mexico to its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, near Cleveland next year.
The company is investing $168 million to make this shift.
“Shifting production of the 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks to Ohio Assembly Plant helps secure a solid future for the dedicated workers at this facility,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “Building these trucks in-house will utilize our expertise from our other tough truck and commercial vehicle lines to give our customers a better product at a competitive price.”
The production shift from Mexico is part of the collective bargaining agreement Ford and the United Auto Workers negotiated in 2011. Ford’s (IW 1000/8) announcement today confirms the company is moving forward with the plan for Ohio Assembly Plant.
“We are extremely pleased that the dedicated, highly skilled and highly motivated UAW members of Ohio Assembly Plant have been selected to build the next-generation Ford F-650 and F-750,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president and director of the National Ford Department.
As part of the production shift, Ford is investing $168 million to retool the Cleveland-area plant for the new medium-duty trucks. Ohio Assembly Plant, which opened in 1974, currently produces the Ford E-Series lineup of vans and other commercial vehicles.
Ford E-Series cargo and passenger van production will end later this year, while E-Series cutaway vans and stripped chassis will continue to be built in Ohio through most of the decade. Replacing E-Series vans is the all-new 2015 Ford Transit that starts production this spring at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.
