Future of Michigan plant weighs on UAW contract negotiations - The Providence Journal
"We will move production of the next-generation Ford Focus and C-Max, which currently are built at Michigan Assembly Plant, beginning in 2018. We actively are pursuing future vehicle alternatives to produce at Michigan Assembly and will discuss... At this early point in the talks, a lot of product names are being bandied about as potential new products for Michigan Assembly, although the big automotive forecasters do not have the Ranger as making a return to the North American market — or... All of the above share basic underpinnings, making them strong candidates to use the full capacity at Michigan Assembly. Ford's global platform strategy is designed to make it easy to build multiple different but related vehicles in a single plant, but they tend to be cars and car-based crossovers. The Ranger, being a body-on-frame truck on a distinct truck platform, would require more manufacturing flexibility and the anticipated volumes are unlikely to use all the capacity, which means more products would be needed and if they are... Source: www.providencejournal.com
