Ford to lay off 700 at MAP

[jpd80]

Its not like we have raised the federal gas tax in the last 22 years.

 

Homer: Uh, Milhouse saw the elephant twice and rode him once, right?

Mrs. Van Houten: Yes, but we paid you $4.

Homer: Well, that was under our old price structure. Under our new price structure,

your bill comes to a total of $700. Now, you've already paid me $4, so that's just $696

more that you owe me.

Mr. Van Houten: Get off our property.

 

 

Seriously, good luck getting any traction with an increase in tax..

Edited April 30, 2015 by jpd80

[Biker16]

Y'all, can we get back to MAP laying off several hundred workers and how the obvious solution to the problem is to move another product to the plant so it can be overbuilt and then sold at blowout prices in a couple of months just so Ford can keep the plant running at full speed at the cost of net profitability?

 

another product like a Lincoln Sedan, or Transit connect or Focus Wagon, or a Focus RS, or gas powered C-max, or a Lincoln Sport wagon or Escape, or a MKC.

 

I cannot foresee any of those products being sold at " sold at blowout prices"

[Biker16]

 

 

Seriously, good luck getting any traction with an increase in tax..

 

I agree, Lets stop using property and income taxes to pay roads, and watch how fast those road begin to decay.

 

tis is about fairness, those that beniift form the investment should pay for it, and not be subsidized by taxes on other areas of the economy.

 

Thus most road costs are not born by the USER.

 

http://taxfoundation.org/article/gasoline-taxes-and-tolls-pay-only-third-state-local-road-spending

 

this is Called a SUBSIDY

Edited April 30, 2015 by Biker16

[03 LS]

 

another product like a Lincoln Sedan, or Transit connect or Focus Wagon, or a Focus RS, or gas powered C-max, or a Lincoln Sport wagon or Escape, or a MKC.

 

I cannot foresee any of those products being sold at " sold at blowout prices"

The Lincoln Sedan (C car) is happening. So maybe that's why they are not moving another product to MAP. They need that capacity for the Lincoln Focus, 2-3 years from now.

[fuzzymoomoo]

The Lincoln Sedan (C car) is happening. So maybe that's why they are not moving another product to MAP. They need that capacity for the Lincoln Focus, 2-3 years from now.

 

I've been hearing that for a while too. When that comes, I have a feeling MAP will go back to 3 shifts

[Biker16]

The Lincoln Sedan (C car) is happening. So maybe that's why they are not moving another product to MAP. They need that capacity for the Lincoln Focus, 2-3 years from now.

 

 

I've been hearing that for a while too. When that comes, I have a feeling MAP will go back to 3 shifts

 

I hope so, i think there is so much potential at MAP and idled WAP which IMO has a Floor plan is better suited to Flexible manufacturing than MAP.

[fuzzymoomoo]

 

 

I hope so, i think there is so much potential at MAP and idled WAP which IMO has a Floor plan is better suited to Flexible manufacturing than MAP.

AFAIK, the problem with Wayne assembly is the same thing that killed plants like Twin Cities, St.Thomas and Wixom, the equipment is so outdated that it was cheaper to renovate Michigan Truck into Michigan Assembly. WAP is now used for kitting and Sequencing for MAP.

[Biker16]

AFAIK, the problem with Wayne assembly is the same thing that killed plants like Twin Cities, St.Thomas and Wixom, the equipment is so outdated that it was cheaper to renovate Michigan Truck into Michigan Assembly. WAP is now used for kitting and Sequencing for MAP.

 

I get that, but MAP is more cramped,and Is like having 2 separate buildings one 500,000 Sq/ft and the other 1.2 million Sq/ft

 

while WAP is 2.1 million Sq/ft under one roof.

 

Is the 600,000 sq/ft building to the west the final trim building?

[fuzzymoomoo]

 

I get that, but MAP is more cramped,and Is like having 2 separate buildings one 500,000 Sq/ft and the other 1.2 million Sq/ft

 

while WAP is 2.1 million Sq/ft under one roof.

 

Is the 600,000 sq/ft building to the west the final trim building?

No, the final assembly (or trim as you call it) building is the building to the east, closest to the old Wayne assbmy building. I'm pretty sure the building you're talking about is body. Paint is somewhere in the middle and I think stamping is to the south of Body.

[papilgee4evaeva]

 

another product like a Lincoln Sedan, or Transit connect or Focus Wagon, or a Focus RS, or gas powered C-max, or a Lincoln Sport wagon or Escape, or a MKC.

 

I cannot foresee any of those products being sold at " sold at blowout prices"

 

[Biker16]

No, the final assembly (or trim as you call it) building is the building to the east, closest to the old Wayne Assembly building. I'm pretty sure the building you're talking about is body. Paint is somewhere in the middle and I think stamping is to the south of Body.

 

Thanks.

[Biker16]

 

http://www.autonews.com/article/20150504/OEM/305049951/ford-rides-truck-wave-as-small-cars-fizzle

Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of the Americas.

More trucks needed

As unlikely as that seemed when Ford started retooling plants to make small cars, finding ways to build more light trucks is among Hinrichs' biggest problems -- outside South America, where worsening economic conditions have thrown considerable uncertainty into Ford's business there.

Ford has said it's capacity-constrained on several nameplates, including the Expedition, Explorer and Escape. Sales of the Escape are down 3 percent this year, even though compact crossovers are among the industry's hottest sellers, as increased exports leave fewer vehicles for U.S. dealers.

 

"We're selling all the Escapes and [Lincoln] MKCs we can produce," Hinrichs said. "We're not out of ideas. We've still continued to find ways to increase capacity, both in the supply base if we're limited that way or in our own manufacturing plants. ... We continue to find ways to increase line speeds, use different shift patterns, and we're not finished yet."

[jpd80]

At the same time, Ford, which has hired more than 15,000 hourly workers since 2011, has to be cautious

in adding capacity, lest it re-create the same problems it spent billions of dollars fixing during the downturn.

Hinrichs said Ford has no plans to add a plant.

 

He said he doesn't see another downturn coming yet, but says that Ford is closely watching the margins

on individual vehicles to make sure they can still be profitable even if volume drops rapidly.

"That's always a concern," he said. "Clearly, we're in the sixth year of an economic expansion here in the U.S.,

so we watch that carefully. ... There's still room to grow in the U.S. industry, given where housing is, given where

inflation is. Interest rates are still low. Employment's started coming back, but real wage growth has been limited."

 

Ford is saying it's capacity constrained but doesn't want to add another plant for Escape.

So this means working Louisville even harder, I sure hope there's no break downs....

Edited May 4, 2015 by jpd80

[Biker16]

 

 

Ford is saying it's capacity constrained but doesn't want to add another plant for Escape.

So this means working Louisville even harder, I sure hope there's no break downs....

 

JPD80, I wouldn't consider adding production to an existing plant as adding a new plant.

 

It may make sense to import Escapes from Spain to fill the gap.

[fuzzymoomoo]

 

JPD80, I wouldn't consider adding production to an existing plant as adding a new plant.

 

 

You might not, but Ford does

 

It may make sense to import Escapes from Spain to fill the gap.

Maybe, but they would have to build them to US. regs and i'm not sure how prepared they are to do that. But then again, if MAP can build C-Max PHEVs for Europe I suppose it's not out of the realm of possibility.

[jpd80]

 

JPD80, I wouldn't consider adding production to an existing plant as adding a new plant.

 

It may make sense to import Escapes from Spain to fill the gap.

Look at what Hinrichs has said, everything has been about improving existing lines

by speeding them up, changing shifts and reducing supply restrictions.

 

You can take that as read that Ford not adding a plant is also code for not adding a line

in an existing plant. Almost to the point of paranoia regarding a sudden drop in demand

leaving them once again with excess production - he even said as much...

 

It's clear that Ford has been pessimistic about production for quite a few quarters now

and every year coming out of winter we have this same problem of barely enough

inventory to carry strong sales and dealer requests to replenish stock and fill orders

but in the end, Ford manages to get through, tightening inventory going into fall and then

recovering over winter when they should be building inventory again.

 

While it is terrible to leave dealers and buyers hang like this, the situation is far less risky

than what Ford did in the past, over produce and then have to mop up with incentives or

worse, dump into fleets. So yes it's never good to miss sales but I expect Ford is crying

all the way to the bank over higher ATPs and lower incentive spend.

Edited May 4, 2015 by jpd80