Ford to invest $168 million in Northeast Ohio plant

Staff report

Ford Motor Co. said it is investing $168 million to re-tool its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, Ohio.

The Lorain County plant near Cleveland, opened in 1974, will be the new production site for the 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks, as the automaker shifts production from Mexico to Northeast Ohio.

Ford said Friday’s announcement was the result of a collective-bargaining agreement negotiated between the company and the United Auto Workers in 2011.

“Shifting production of the 2016 Ford F-650 and F-750 medium-duty trucks to Ohio Assembly Plant helps secure a solid future for the dedicated workers at this facility,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, said in a prepared statement. “Building these trucks in-house will utilize our expertise from our other tough-truck and commercial-vehicle lines to give our customers a better product at a competitive price.”

The trucks are expected to hit dealer lots next spring.

The Ohio Assembly Plant formerly built the Ford E-Series lineup of vans and commercial vehicles. Ford will halt production on the E-Series vans later this year, making way for 2015 Ford Transit, which will be manufactured in Missouri.