December 6, 201113 yr Ford investing $128 million in Avon Lake plant Published: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 1:19 PM Updated: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 1:21 PM By Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer AVON LAKE, Ohio -- Dave Eaton walked through the gates at Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant in 1974, months after it opened. He's still there. "The rumor was we were closing from 1975 until now," Eaton said Tuesday, barely an hour after Ford officials and Gov. John Kasich announced the automaker would invest $128 million in the plant to convert production from vans to large commercial trucks. "Every year, they'd say we were closing again, but we're still here. We survived all of that." Long timers at the plant like Eaton talk about all of the bullets Ohio Assembly has dodged over the years. It opened during the first major national oil crunch, a time that made buying large commercial vans unpopular. Ford, over the years, promised several new products that either never arrived at the plant or came and went so quickly that workers hardly noticed they were there. Still, it managed to stay open. More: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/ford_investing_128_million_in.html
December 6, 201113 yr I guess its good news that the plant is being retained, but its too bad Avon Lake didnt get the new van instead like Kansas City where they are adding something like 2000 jobs.
December 7, 201113 yr Great news to keep these jobs in Ohio and OUT OF Mexico! Thank you Ford and the Kasich Administration!
December 7, 201113 yr Ford investing $128 million in Avon Lake plant Published: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 1:19 PM Updated: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 1:21 PM By Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer AVON LAKE, Ohio -- Dave Eaton walked through the gates at Ford's Ohio Assembly Plant in 1974, months after it opened. He's still there. Edited to comply with copyright laws and UrbanOhio posting regulations. In the future, please post only: Article headline Date/writer/publication First few paragraphs of article Web link to the rest of article Thanks! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 13, 201113 yr Hmmmm..... UPDATED: Production suspended at GM Lordstown Published: Mon, December 12, 2011 @ 12:19 p.m. LORDSTOWN — General Motors Co. has suspended operations at the Lordstown facility due to a “supplier issue,” the automaker said Monday. Tom Mock, Lordstown spokesman, said the problem pertains to “material provided by a supplier ... that could impact customer satisfaction with our products.” Several workers indicated the problem has to do with the struts of the vehicle. Mock said the production interruption will be diagnosed on a day-to-day basis. READ MORE AT: http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/dec/12/production-suspended-gm-lordstown/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 14, 201113 yr Hmmmm..... UPDATED: Production suspended at GM Lordstown Published: Mon, December 12, 2011 @ 12:19 p.m. LORDSTOWN General Motors Co. has suspended operations at the Lordstown facility due to a supplier issue, the automaker said Monday. Tom Mock, Lordstown spokesman, said the problem pertains to material provided by a supplier ... that could impact customer satisfaction with our products. Several workers indicated the problem has to do with the struts of the vehicle. Mock said the production interruption will be diagnosed on a day-to-day basis. READ MORE AT: http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/dec/12/production-suspended-gm-lordstown/ The issue has to do with the struts, and seems to have something to do with them making noise at low speeds. It's hard to say if it's a design or quality issue. Most likely the latter. What's wild is my plant ships a pretty major component for the Cruze and I first learn about this here. Three other plants could potentially be impacted, I read elsewhere....
December 14, 201113 yr What's wild is my plant ships a pretty major component for the Cruze and I first learn about this here. Wow. That does suck. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 14, 201113 yr OK now it's really time to make some Cruze Rs. No sound deadening or insulation and Koni adjustable struts rather than the unavailable OEMs.
December 16, 201113 yr http://www.toledoblade.com/Economy/2011/12/15/Region-shows-strong-growth-in-factory-jobs.html "You've had a strong rebound of manufacturing and that has propelled the recovery," Howard Wial, an economist and fellow with the Brookings Institution, said. Mr. Wial, one of the report's authors, said a resurgent domestic auto industry was one factor that helped Toledo -- and other northern Ohio cities. In the subcategory of gains in manufacturing jobs, the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman metro area experienced a 13.8 percent increase, tops on the list. Akron was fourth with an 11.3 percent gain. The Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor metro area's gain of 3.6 percent was 26th.
December 18, 201113 yr Sat 9:10 pm: GM plant ready to roll again December 17, 2011 Tribune Chronicle | TribToday.com LORDSTOWN - The General Motors plant that makes the Chevrolet Cruze compact car is scheduled to resume production Sunday after what the automaker says was a supplier issue shutdown. General Motors Co. halted work on Dec. 12 at the complex in Lordstown. The Detroit-based automaker said Saturday that the supplier part issue was resolved and its third-shift workers are to report to work at their normal times Sunday night. READ MORE AT: http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/565471/Sat-9-10-pm--GM-plant-ready-to-roll-again.html?nav=5192 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 18, 201312 yr Ford workers vote on new contract at Brook Park, automaker plans investment announcement for Thursday :clap: CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As Ford workers in Brook Park vote on a tentative new contract today, the automaker has already scheduled a major announcement for Thursday about new investments there. Ford and the United Auto Workers Local 1250 reached a new labor deal last week, a deal the union said included no major changes to work rules. In exchange, the union said the automaker would bring a new line of small engines to the plant that now makes mostly truck motors. The expansion could bring nearly 800 jobs over the next several years. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/02/ford_workers_vote_on_new_contr.html#incart_river_default
February 18, 201312 yr Hell, I might apply! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 18, 201312 yr Hell, I might apply! You'd have to park clear out in the "foreign car" parking lot of shame which is a quarter mile away from the front door... lol
February 18, 201312 yr Hell, I might apply! You'd have to park clear out in the "foreign car" parking lot of shame which is a quarter mile away from the front door... lol Not at all. My lease is up in June. And if I worked for Ford, I think I would have a whole new Focus about life.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 8, 201411 yr Ford Motor to invest $168 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake 11:49 am, March 7, 2014 Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will invest $168 million into its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The investment will enable Ford to shift production from Mexico and retool its Cleveland-area plant to produce the company's all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Ford's announcement “is excellent news for Northeast Ohio workers and our state's proud auto industry.” READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140307/FREE/140309832 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 8, 201411 yr Ford Motor to invest $168 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake 11:49 am, March 7, 2014 Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will invest $168 million into its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The investment will enable Ford to shift production from Mexico and retool its Cleveland-area plant to produce the company's all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Ford's announcement “is excellent news for Northeast Ohio workers and our state's proud auto industry.” READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140307/FREE/140309832 I keep telling people.....American manufacturing can and often does compete favorably with Mexico and China.
March 8, 201411 yr Ford Motor to invest $168 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake 11:49 am, March 7, 2014 Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will invest $168 million into its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The investment will enable Ford to shift production from Mexico and retool its Cleveland-area plant to produce the company's all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Ford's announcement “is excellent news for Northeast Ohio workers and our state's proud auto industry.” READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140307/FREE/140309832 I keep telling people.....American manufacturing can and often does compete favorably with Mexico and China. Yes. There are a lot of costs associated with doing business in another country and they aren't going to get lower any time soon.
March 8, 201411 yr Ford Motor to invest $168 million in its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake 11:49 am, March 7, 2014 Ford Motor Co. has announced that it will invest $168 million into its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake. The investment will enable Ford to shift production from Mexico and retool its Cleveland-area plant to produce the company's all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Ford's announcement “is excellent news for Northeast Ohio workers and our state's proud auto industry.” READ MORE AT: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140307/FREE/140309832 I keep telling people.....American manufacturing can and often does compete favorably with Mexico and China. Yes. There are a lot of costs associated with doing business in another country and they aren't going to get lower any time soon. I spent some time during the WARN notification period when my one plant moved to Monterrey at the new plant. They were making one of our staple products using hand assembly, and actually managed to have significantly higher labor costs per piece than we did. They hadn't moved to the automated equipment because the operators kept crashing the machines. "Classroom" training did not take. Perhaps more to the point, they did not believe in preventive maintenance. I got a call from our former engineer not long after the move. He was working for a machine manufacturer, I was with the metal supplier and they ran some parts for them while skunk working their machines (we supplied the metal). He told me they had broken seven tie bars in a week. With eight machines, we broke one during the year and a half they had them.
October 2, 201410 yr Uh oh...... NBC 24 @nbc24wnwo 8m8 minutes ago #BREAKING: #Chrysler announces it may revamp Jeep Wrangler, meaning production would move out of #Toledo "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 2, 201410 yr Uh oh...... NBC 24 @nbc24wnwo 8m8 minutes ago #BREAKING: #Chrysler announces it may revamp Jeep Wrangler, meaning production would move out of #Toledo Not too much of an uh oh. The Wrangler will be replaced by another vehicle in Toledo according to the head of the company as quoted in The Blade: http://m.toledoblade.com/Automotive/2014/10/02/Fiat-Chrysler-Automobiles-considering-moving-Jeep-Wrangler-production-out-of-Toledo.html
November 19, 201410 yr Marcia Pledger @marciapledger 10m10 minutes ago FAA has approved a Ford Motor Co. plan for construction upgrades at Brook Park plant http://s.cleveland.com/mdF2VwP via @clevelanddotcom "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 13, 20159 yr Great to see this manufacturing in the USA! Especially in Ohio... Ford builds new medium-duty trucks in U.S. for 1st time By Alisa Priddle, Detroit Free Press 5:32 p.m. EDT August 12, 2015 Ford celebrates the return of medium-duty truck production in the U.S. today. Joe Hinrichs, president of the Americas, was to be in Avon Lake, Ohio, for the production launch of the new 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks, which had been built in Mexico in a joint venture plant with Navistar. Moving that work to the Ohio plant preserves about 1,400 jobs and represents a $168-million investment in a new body shop and tooling. MORE: http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2015/08/11/ford-f650-f750-medium-duty-pickup-trucks-avon-lake-ohio/31491091/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 10, 20159 yr How Ford will spend $9B on plants, secure 8,500 jobs Alisa Priddle and Brent Snavely, Detroit Free Press 10:12 p.m. EST November 9, 2015 http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2015/11/09/plant-details-behind-fords-9-billion-spending-spree/75467028/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 26, 20169 yr Crain's reporting that the Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake to receive $200 million investment from Ford. The investment will go toward production of Super Duty chassis cabs and will create or retain 150 jobs. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 15, 20168 yr General Motors will invest $218 million in its Parma Metal Center December 14, 2016 UPDATED 15 HOURS AGO By DAN SHINGLER General Motors will invest $218 million in its Parma Metal Center, the company announced Wednesday, Dec. 14. The automaker said the money won’t immediately result in new jobs being added, but that it would preserve 140 existing jobs at the plant, which in total employs 1,344. The investment will “prepare the facility for future product programs, GM said in announcing it. Specifically, the company its investing in the installation of two new progressive presses, along with dies and sub-assemblies. The company said the Parma plant stamps parts and supports about 40 customers in the GM supply chain and its parts support “the majority of General Motors North America produced vehicles.” The plant processes more than 1,000 tons of steel per day, according to GM. Simultaneously, GM announced investments at three New York state plants making engines and components, for a total four-plant investment of $552 million. MORE: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20161214/NEWS/161219907/general-motors-will-invest-218-million-in-its-parma-metal-center "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 22, 20177 yr General Motors going 100 percent green at Ohio, Indiana plants http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2017/09/general_motors_going_100_perce.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 26, 20187 yr Wow.... Ford to stop selling every car in North America but the Mustang and Focus Active Matt Burns@mjburnsy / 16 hours ago Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant “will transition to two vehicles” — the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. MORE: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 26, 20187 yr Wow.... Ford to stop selling every car in North America but the Mustang and Focus Active Matt Burns@mjburnsy / 16 hours ago Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant “will transition to two vehicles” — the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. MORE: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/ It was only a matter of time, with the trend being Crossovers and smaller SUVs. It makes business sense.
April 26, 20187 yr Wow.... Ford to stop selling every car in North America but the Mustang and Focus Active Matt Burns@mjburnsy / 16 hours ago Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant “will transition to two vehicles” — the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. MORE: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/ It was only a matter of time, with the trend being Crossovers and smaller SUVs. It makes business sense. Something that struck me the last time I was in Europe was the complete lack of sedans. Everything was a hatchback or crossover/small SUV.
April 26, 20187 yr Wow.... Ford to stop selling every car in North America but the Mustang and Focus Active Matt Burns@mjburnsy / 16 hours ago Ford today announced it will phase out most cars it sells in North America. According to its latest financial release, the auto giant “will transition to two vehicles” — the Mustang and an unannounced vehicle, the Focus Active, being the only traditional cars it sells in the region. Ford sees 90 percent of its North America portfolio in trucks, utilities and commercial vehicles. Citing a reduction in consumer demand and product profitability, Ford is in turn not investing in the next generation of sedans. The Taurus is no more. MORE: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/ford-to-stop-selling-every-car-in-north-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/ It was only a matter of time, with the trend being Crossovers and smaller SUVs. It makes business sense. Been happening for a long time. CAFE tried to push people into smaller cars but it pushed them towards minivans and SUVs instead.
April 26, 20187 yr Because minivans and SUVs are CAFE exempt. If bigass trucks and oinker crossovers weren't exempt the car companies wouldn't push them so much.
April 26, 20187 yr Because minivans and SUVs are CAFE exempt. If bigass trucks and oinker crossovers weren't exempt the car companies wouldn't push them so much. Demand for those is high enough they can soak people for big margins. Compacts are sold at cost and GM is down to a single shift in Lordstown producing theirs. Ford moved domestic compact production to Mexico a few years ago.
April 26, 20187 yr The Japanese don't have to sell small cars at cost since they know how to make money off of them.
April 26, 20187 yr It helps to have a market interested in that sort of thing. What we think of as compact is considered midsize in Asia. Their economy cars are practically coffins on wheels, a category we just don't have. Over there you might even see a family of 4 on a scooter. The tail isn't wagging the dog on this, Americans really do like their big bulbous trucky things.
April 26, 20187 yr Been happening for a long time. CAFE tried to push people into smaller cars but it pushed them towards minivans and SUVs instead. Because minivans and SUVs are CAFE exempt. If bigass trucks and oinker crossovers weren't exempt the car companies wouldn't push them so much. Aren't minivans and most SUV's included in the CAFE calculation? Pretty sure it's only very big SUVs/personal trucks that fall outside, like >8,500 pounds big.
April 26, 20187 yr Can someone tell me the difference between crossovers and station wagons? Taller. When the road is dominated by SUV's, everybody at traditional car height is effectively blinded.
April 26, 20187 yr Been happening for a long time. CAFE tried to push people into smaller cars but it pushed them towards minivans and SUVs instead. Because minivans and SUVs are CAFE exempt. If bigass trucks and oinker crossovers weren't exempt the car companies wouldn't push them so much. Aren't minivans and most SUV's included in the CAFE calculation? Pretty sure it's only very big SUVs/personal trucks that fall outside, like >8,500 pounds big. I shouldn't have used the term exempt. Since 1991, there has been no standard for light trucks (including minivans, SUVs and crossovers) but they still contribute to a company's overall fleet. Instead, the bigger a truck is the more fuel it is allowed to consume and that's why the trucks and crossovers from the late 2000s and later are so obese as compared to say a 1997 model.
April 26, 20187 yr ^Right, but that's how CAFE works. Car companies are free to sell the higher margin big/fast cars that consume more gas, but they need to offset those sales with sales of smaller cars to meet the CAFE standard, which means they need to lower prices on those smaller cars to move them out the door when gas prices are low. Other than on the margins, a very small number of people moving to Hummers and giant pickups, I'm curious if there's any empirical support for what Erocc is claiming. EDIT: ah, now I see that I'm being too simplistic. I am seeing there was a revision to CAFE like you said that went into effect in 2011, tying standards in part to vehicle footprint. Can someone tell me the difference between crossovers and station wagons? Taller. When the road is dominated by SUV's, everybody at traditional car height is effectively blinded. Not to mention bikers and pedestrians who need to see what's coming down the road. I pretty much loathe SUVs, crossovers, and light trucks as personal vehicles for this reason.
April 26, 20187 yr I daily-drove a sports car from 2007-2013. There'd be times when I couldn't turn left on multi-lane roads or go right on red since I might as well be blind from all the giant SUVs. They'd start honking at me like a bunch of big stupid bullies. I'm sitting there like "You know, I could go if you didn't think you needed to drive Bigfoot everywhere because you had a kid."
April 26, 20187 yr I often can't back out of my own driveway without seeing what cars are coming because of the giant SUV that parks in front of my house. I love Mr. Money Mustache's take on these unnecessary vehicles.
April 26, 20187 yr Something that struck me the last time I was in Europe was the complete lack of sedans. Everything was a hatchback or crossover/small SUV. Where in Europe were you? SUVs are increasing in popularity there, but the market is still dominated by small and subcompact cars.
April 26, 20187 yr Something that struck me the last time I was in Europe was the complete lack of sedans. Everything was a hatchback or crossover/small SUV. Where in Europe were you? SUVs are increasing in popularity there, but the market is still dominated by small and subcompact cars. I was in Italy. The compact cars were all hatchbacks. Midsize were hatch/ wagon/ crossover. No vehicles with passenger compartment and trunk.
April 26, 20187 yr Our fellow 1.5 World counties like Italy and wealthy parts of the Middle East take on U.S.-like characteristics with their vehicle purchases. Though hatchbacks do poorly here. One of the big differences between the U.S. and other First-World countries is the existence of the engine displacement tax. Vehicles you see overseas will often be the same model sold here but with a smaller engine to reduce the yearly tax burden. Displacement tax can become burdensome even at 2.5 liters.
April 26, 20187 yr Our fellow 1.5 World counties like Italy and wealthy parts of the Middle East take on U.S.-like characteristics with their vehicle purchases. Though hatchbacks do poorly here. It never made sense to me that hatchbacks do so poorly in the US. I want a hatchback or wagon as my next car. There is more potential cargo space.
April 26, 20187 yr Not just Italy but all of Europe, you will never see a car with what some refer to as a "tail." The hatchbacks aren't as visibly hatchback-y as a stereotypical hatchback, it's barely noticeable unless you're paying attention, but the passenger cabin/rear windshield always extends to the very back of the car.
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