Twin Cities Assembly Plant
Encyclopedia
Ford Motor Company
's Twin Cities Assembly Plant is located next to the Mississippi River
in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota
, United States
. It is the oldest Ford plant still in operation, having been first built in 1924. Today, the plant manufactures the Ford Ranger
pickup truck
and the similar Mazda B-Series. In 2004, a vehicle took an average of 20.77 hours of labor to roll through the assembly line, 3.5 hours faster than might be expected in comparison to other plants. For many years, the soft sandstone
underneath the plant was mined to obtain raw material to make glass
for vehicle windows. The mining has long since ended, but the tunnels remain. Due to a shrinking demand for compact pickup trucks, Ford decided to discontinue the Ranger model in North America. The plant is currently scheduled to be closed on December 19, 2011.
agreed to build a plant in St. Paul. The dam was initially completed in 1917, making it one of the oldest on the river. However, hydroelectric power required a rather large dam, which meant that the first lock and dam built on the Mississippi would have to be demolished. Some remains of the upstream Meeker Island Lock and Dam
still poke out of the water when the river is low. A major upgrade to the Ford Dam was completed in 1929, and the completion of locks by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers followed in 1932. The dam was transferred to Twin City Hydro, LLC on April 14, 2008 , and is currently being refurbished with projections to be back online in the fall of 2010.
The Ford name is also attached to a nearby bridge, completed in 1927. Officially known as the Intercity Bridge
, it connects 46th Street on the Minneapolis
side of the river to the Ford Parkway in St. Paul.
on January 23, 2006. The St. Paul plant was not included among the initial list of plant closings announced in January. However, Ford announced on April 13 that the Twin Cities plant would close in 2008, along with the Norfolk, Virginia
Ford F-series
pickup plant. Ranger production has dropped from a peak of nearly 300,000 units in 1998, to under 120,000 in 2005. First quarter 2006 sales for the Ranger were under 22,500 — down another 16% from 2005. While other Ford plants were operating at an average capacity of 75% in 2004, the Twin Cities Plant beat that average with 83%, but higher than average productivity was not enough to hold off the plant's ultimate closure.
Labor and community activists are coalescing around the idea of saving the Saint Paul Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant and the jobs it provides. A bill, SF 607, is presently under consideration in the Minnesota Legislature aimed at keeping the property (which includes the hydro-electric dam) in saleable condition for two years in an effort to find a manufacturer who would like to buy the property for manufacturing.
On July 24, 2008, Ford announced they would keep the Twin Cities Plant open through 2011.
On October 17, 2011, Ford announced the plant would close for good on December 19.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's Twin Cities Assembly Plant is located next to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the oldest Ford plant still in operation, having been first built in 1924. Today, the plant manufactures the Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. The "Ranger" name had previously been used for a premium styling package on the F-Series full-sized pickup trucks since 1965. The name was moved to this line of North American compact trucks for the 1983 model year.In North...
pickup truck
Pickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
and the similar Mazda B-Series. In 2004, a vehicle took an average of 20.77 hours of labor to roll through the assembly line, 3.5 hours faster than might be expected in comparison to other plants. For many years, the soft sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
underneath the plant was mined to obtain raw material to make glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
for vehicle windows. The mining has long since ended, but the tunnels remain. Due to a shrinking demand for compact pickup trucks, Ford decided to discontinue the Ranger model in North America. The plant is currently scheduled to be closed on December 19, 2011.
Construction
The promise of cheap hydropower was the chief reason why Henry FordHenry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
agreed to build a plant in St. Paul. The dam was initially completed in 1917, making it one of the oldest on the river. However, hydroelectric power required a rather large dam, which meant that the first lock and dam built on the Mississippi would have to be demolished. Some remains of the upstream Meeker Island Lock and Dam
Meeker Island Lock and Dam
The Meeker Island Lock and Dam was the first lock and dam facility built on the Upper Mississippi River. After a construction period lasting eight years, the site was only in operation for five years from 1907 to 1912 when the growing interest in hydroelectric power led to design and construction...
still poke out of the water when the river is low. A major upgrade to the Ford Dam was completed in 1929, and the completion of locks by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers followed in 1932. The dam was transferred to Twin City Hydro, LLC on April 14, 2008 , and is currently being refurbished with projections to be back online in the fall of 2010.
Intercity Bridge
The Intercity Bridge, more commonly known as the Ford Parkway Bridge , is a reinforced concrete arch bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Paul, Minnesota. It connects 46th Street in Minneapolis with Ford Parkway in Saint Paul...
, it connects 46th Street on the Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
side of the river to the Ford Parkway in St. Paul.
Closure Plans
Despite advantages that the plant offers, it was rumored to be among the plants that were expected to be closed when company officials revealed restructuring plans dubbed The Way ForwardThe Way Forward
Ford Motor Company's restructuring plan, made public in 2006, is known as The Way Forward.Ford is attempting to reduce fixed capital costs while maintaining a special focus on cars and car-based crossover vehicles. Over time, it hopes to make more of its product line profitable instead of relying...
on January 23, 2006. The St. Paul plant was not included among the initial list of plant closings announced in January. However, Ford announced on April 13 that the Twin Cities plant would close in 2008, along with the Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
Ford F-series
Ford F-Series
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
pickup plant. Ranger production has dropped from a peak of nearly 300,000 units in 1998, to under 120,000 in 2005. First quarter 2006 sales for the Ranger were under 22,500 — down another 16% from 2005. While other Ford plants were operating at an average capacity of 75% in 2004, the Twin Cities Plant beat that average with 83%, but higher than average productivity was not enough to hold off the plant's ultimate closure.
On July 24, 2008, Ford announced they would keep the Twin Cities Plant open through 2011.
On October 17, 2011, Ford announced the plant would close for good on December 19.