By Chelsey Dulaney
Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that it has begun production of
its F-650 and F-750 trucks at its Avon Lake, Ohio, assembly
plant.
The medium-duty trucks were previously assembled in Mexico. Ford
invested $168 million in retooling the plant as part of a 2011
collective bargaining agreement with the United Auto Workers.
Ford said shifting the production to the U.S. helps secure over
1,000 hourly jobs.
"We found a way to make the costs competitive enough to bring
production of a whole new generation of work trucks to Ohio," said
Joe Hinrichs, president of the Americas division.
The plant also produces E-Series vans. Ford has been phasing out
the E-series van as it brings on the Transit van, a lighter-weight,
European-style cargo van that gets better fuel economy and is sold
around the world.
Write to Chelsey Dulaney at chelsey.dulaney@wsj.com
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