Plant Closings, Job Cuts Loom at Ford

ap ^ | 1/22/06 | Dee-Ann Durbin

[Flavius]

plants closings, oil prices increases, etc

Iran losses thus far. - 5 letters from EU,UN, and1 from girl scouts

[Aussiebabe]

This quite a problem for the liberals, they are delighted that SUV's are biting the dust and the evil corporations are paying the cost --the problem is that they are losing their union membership and the people who contribute to liberal causes.

[CSM]

This hits very close to home. Ford has to many problems to solve and they aren't very serious about actually changing the company. People are jumping ship daily.

[MplsSteve]

Here in the twin Cities there are a lot of people waiting to see if the Ford plant here closes.

Currently, they make the Ford Ranger pick-up truck.

Gov Tim Pawlenty has presented Ford's mgmt with a subsidy offer to keep the plant open albeit with a significantly different mission - a biofuel research center. Apparently, Ford officials were not impressed.

Here's a column from the Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) about the possible plant closing:

http://www.startribune.com/535/story/196584.html

[SteveMcKing]

Any word on building cars that people might like?

[CindyDawg]

People I know still drive SUVs. We are just driving them longer. Gas is high but the real problem is the prices are too high and insurance can be almost as high as the payments. If you keep the one you have and do upkeep you can get by with liability only if it's paid for.

[ikka]

Their own TV ads brag about the Fusion as being "an import-killer" ... dumb move.

[Ben Hecks]

Their own TV ads brag about the Fusion as being "an import-killer" ... dumb move.

I take it you haven't driven one.

[skinkinthegrass]

By contrast, rival Toyota Motor Corp. was operating at full capacity.

For the month of October, I can confirm that...They were moving a "lot of cars" (Camrys and Avalons)

[MichiganConservative]

Ford makes nifty cars (I think anyway). The only thing is that they are sold only in Australia. How about the Falcon XR8? It's got a 350hp V8 engine. It's a sedan. They race them down under.

[Flavius]

your telling me ford/gm other clowns cant make anything like this...?

[Last Dakotan]

The restructuring is Ford's second in four years. Under the first plan, Ford closed five plants and cut 35,000 jobs, but its North American operations failed to turn around.

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

[CSM]

I don't think it makes any sense to close TC Assy. Edison was already closed, that leaves TCAP as the only plant making the Ranger. The Ranger still does quite well, considering the company has not done anything to refresh it for a long time.

It would make more sense to close St. Louis and then turn TCAP into a flexible plant to produce the Ranger and the Sport Trac (or similar type vehicle.)

[MichiganConservative]

Why should Granholm expect assurance that Michigan plants wouldn't close? It seems to me that moving factories from Michigan to a right-to-work state would be a priority. Granholm should be for making Michigan a right-to-work state, but she's a commie.

[VOA]

Their own TV ads brag about the Fusion as being "an import-killer" ... dumb move.

What got me was that I couldn't hardly tell what the Fusion looked like
from the TV ads.
That is a bad sign.

When I did finally see what one looked like in "Car And Driver",
all I could think is "theft of some of the 'bulk' of current
Cadillacs and Chryslers, only shrunk to a smaller frame".

And I'm really lukewarm about the Ford Five-Hundred.

[skinkinthegrass]

..your telling me ford/gm other clowns cant make anything like this...?

no, just confirming the report.
If they'd get their heads "outa their @$$e$ and do some research, concentrate on building safe/sturdy...(no goldplating/reduct # of models)...vehicles @ resonable cost.

[CindyDawg]

I like my Mustang and I'm keeping it.

[gitmogrunt]

If Ford would put the tail lights of the Ford Focus lower, instead of on the roof(almost), I'd buy one.

[Flavius]

no i was just saying, venting as most people, its just amazing to me, well not amazing,

that all these PhD's,engineering geniuses, designers, cannot figure out how to make an car that people actually like

the problem is only with management they are responsible

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

I've got to think there is enough institutional vehicle knowledge at Ford that they'll be able to rise above this current downward spiral.

It would be absolutely horrible for our country for this venerable firm to go out of business. The fact-of-the-matter is that they have been producing solid vehicles the past few years. The recent hullabaloo about overturning Explorer SUVs was a hatchetjob by the mainstream media as far as I'm concerned.

They just need to concentrate on a few more winners like the recent models of the F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Fusion, and others to get out of this mess.

~ Blue Jays ~