Ford is investing $168 million to move production of the all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 series medium-duty pickup trucks from Mexico to their Ohio Assembly Plant near Cleveland. These commercial trucks are America’s best-selling line of trucks and have been for 29 years in that segment.
Becoming available in Spring of 2015, the new line of MD trucks will continue Ford’s reputation for high-quality and durability along with increased capability and higher fuel economy in both gasoline and diesel variants.
Ford is investing the money to retool the Cleveland-area plant for these trucks. The plant has been in operation since 1974 and currently produces the Ford E-Series of vans and commercial vehicles, so it’s no stranger to commercial and medium-duty vehicle production. Ford decided to move the production from Mexico due to increased demand for other pickup trucks made there and because the E-Series vans will be discontinued this year, leaving room in Ohio for the F-650 and F-750 series chassis. It will also cut logistics costs for the vehicles.
“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 announcement today confirms the company is moving forward with the plan for Ohio Assembly Plant.
You can download a fact sheet on the Ohio plant at this link (PDF).
