Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. today kicks off production of the all-new Ford F-650/F-750 medium-duty trucks at its Ohio Assembly Plant. The trucks were previously built in Mexico.
The 2016 Ford F-650/F-750 trucks, available this summer, feature 6.8-liter V10 gas engines or 6.7-liter V8 diesel engines, heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmissions, and chassis capable of accommodating vocational bodies with little modification. The trucks are offered in regular cab, super cab, and crew cab body styles and in straight-frame, dock-height, and an all-new dedicated tractor model for heavy towing applications.
The production shift to Ford’s facility in Avon Lake will secure more than 1,000 hourly jobs and a $168 million investment in the plant. In 2014, Ford announced the investment to shift production, and added a new body shop equipment and other tooling needed to produce the medium-duty vehicles. The production shift from Mexico is part of the collective bargaining agreement Ford and the United Auto Workers negotiated in 2011.
“Our investment in Ohio Assembly Plant reinforces our commitment to building vehicles in America and to delivering best-in-class commercial trucks,” says Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford of The Americas. “Working with our partners in the United Auto Workers, we found a way to make the costs competitive enough to bring production of a whole new generation of work trucks to Ohio.”
The Ohio Assembly Plant, opened in 1974, employs nearly 1,400 people. The plant also produces Ford E-Series cutaway vans and stripped chassis.
