Ford to Shut Plants in Minn., Va. in 2008

[Judi Lynn]

ABC News
Ford to Shut Plants in Minn., Va. in 2008
Ford to Close Assembly Plants in Minn., Va. in 2008; Two Factories Employ About 4,300 Workers
By SARAH KARUSH

DETROIT Apr 13, 2006 (AP)— Ford Motor Co., which is closing plants and cutting jobs in an effort to improve results from its North American auto business, said Thursday that it will shutter assembly plants in Norfolk, Va., and St. Paul, Minn., in 2008.

The two plants employ about 4,300 hourly and salaried workers.

"A decision to end production at a plant is not an easy one, and I'm deeply mindful of the impact this decision has on Ford employees, families and communities," Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, these are necessary steps we must take to move the business forward."

The nation's second-biggest automaker announced in January that it would close 14 plants by 2012, but only identified five of them. It said at the time that it would name two more plants later in the year.
(snip/...)

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1840151&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[UrbScotty]

1. "Turning the corner," my @$$ (nt)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Making better products never seems to be a solution.

Nor does cutting the dead weight at the top.

[Deja Q]

15. They just cut live weight in the middle and bottom and think that'll work.

Along with cutting corners...

Sorry, reliability and quality cost a little more upfront... and saves more over the course of time.

[Tempest]

3. Ford also said they planned to continue to build SUVs

Even though most Americans are purchasing fuel efficient vehicles, Ford said it will continue to cater to the shrinking market for SUV and other gas guzzling behemoths.

Good riddance.

[Deja Q]

16. Maybe, by 2008, they'll stop making SUVs.

People will eventually not want them.

[no name no slogan]

4. At least they confirmed what the UAW said earlier

It's too bad, because the St. Paul plant is one of the most productive and puts out some of the highest quality products in the entire company. Unfortunately they got stuck with a product that Ford has all but abandoned over the last ten years (the Ranger).

Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and Honda or Toyota or somebody else will by the plant. The workforce is well-trained, hard-working and produces a damn fine truck.

[NickB79]

6. The plant itself draws power from the Mississippi River to boot

Their electricity costs are trivial.

The MN state government was trying to convince Ford to build hybrid vehicles at the St. Paul plant, offering tax incentives and such in order to save the workers jobs and build a more desireable vehicle. They were even talking of pushing for the production of plug-in hybrids that run more on the battery than on the gas engine. I guess it wasn't enough.

Looks like Ford screwed us again.

[AX10]

7. Sorry to hear that. I am trying to figure out what the HELL.....

is wrong with Ford and GM? Do they not get it? Don't they see that people want high quality products. They want fuel efficency, not SUV's. This is sad.

[w4rma]

11. Trying to convince them is like trying to convert a freeper.

IMHO, the folks running these companies are most likely, from their buisness choices, far-right-wing neo-conservatives.

[Blue_Tires]

8. honda/toyota/nissan will NEVER use a UAW plant up north

all the japanese/german automakers are setting up in the deep south for a reason....

[Haole Girl]

13. On a side note-

I was surprised to hear they are assembling Volkswagens in Mexico now! I wonder if CAFTA will be the green light for even more plants, even further south (meaning Central America). I hope not. The U.S. needs these jobs. There are fewer and fewer high paying jobs in the U.S. and nobody really even takes notice, it seems, as these jobs quickly leave our country. I wonder if people will begin to notice after its too late.

[Blue_Tires]

14. welcome to the site!

[Haole Girl]

17. Thanks!

[tammywammy]

19. The Jettas and Beetles have been built in Mexico for

awhile now. Everything else is still built in Germany. North America buys the Jettas and Beetles way more than Europe, so it makes sense that they'd be built on this hemisphere.
The Golfs used to come from Brazil. :shrug:

And no US worker lost jobs when VW opened a plant in Mexico, they've never had a plant in the US.

[Haole Girl]

20. Good to hear that

I'd hate to think otherwise, which I assumed. I stand corrected- thanks. Still wish the plants were in the U.S. though, since we are the ones, primarily, buying the cars.

[susanna]

9. You got that right...

Twin Cities in St. Paul built some wonderful vehicles over the years. My husband has a 1992 Ranger and it still runs like a champ at almost 200,000 miles. The thing won't die! It was obviously solidly built by a great assembly team. I was very sorry to hear of the plant's coming closure, especially since you are dead right - the Ranger became an orphan in Ford's lust for the SUV and large truck profits. It is awful that terrible decisions at the top led to this. :-(

[cyclezealot]

5. A secondary concern of the auto dilema

the Democratic governor of Michigan is dead even in the polls against the Amway/mafia/religous freak, DeVos. DeVost , I read might be the wealthiest person in the US to ever run for any office? Even Forbes? Michigan needs this? The auto decline is much of Gov. Granholm's political problems. Not fair.
My point. So far of GM's and Ford's cuts, luckily for Michigan , so far, the biggest job cuts are outside of Michigan.Does that not say Gov Granholm is not the culprit. The auto dilema is a national problem.

[Blue_Tires]

10. i live close to the NAP

and even applied for a job there a few years ago...this is very sad and a huge shock locally, since there was a $375 million investment for improvements a few years ago...Not to mention the fact that the F-150 is a 'safe' vehicle (i.e., one that FoMoCo will be building for the forseeable future)...

the NAP has been a part of our area since 1925, and tonight 2500 workers have been shown the door...I have the sneaky suspicion that once (if ever) Ford gets set straight, these jobs will quietly resurface in Asia....

the UAW is losing members/workers by the day...pretty soon there won't be a union, because all the auto plant jobs will be either in Mexico, Asia, or in the nonunion import plants in the south....

[Blue_Tires]

12. ttt one time

[brentspeak]

18. You ever notice that the execs at the top never fire themselves?