Ford Medium-Duty Trucks To Be Built in Ohio

Detroit Free Press:

Ford executives will be at the Avon Lake, Ohio, plant today to confirm that workers there will build the next-generation of medium-duty trucks in a production shift from a plant in Mexico.
Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, will tell the plant’s 1,600 workers that they will build the all-new 2016 F-650 and F-750 starting early next year, for sale in the spring of 2015. Workers will also get their first look at the new trucks.
Ford is investing $168 million to retool the Cleveland-area plant to add truck production. The medium-duty trucks had been built in Mexico as part of a joint venture between Ford and Navistar International. Ford promised to in-source the work as part of 2011 negotiations with the UAW.
“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,” Hinrichs said in a statement. “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.”
It is welcome news Avon Lake workers now make the E-Series commercial van on two shifts, but the van will be discontinued by the end of the year. Ford is replacing that vehicles with the new Transit van made in Kansas City starting this spring. Avon Lake workers will continue to make E-Series chassis cab and cutaways that are turned into other types of vehicles by upfitters.

It's nice to see some production coming back from Mexico.