These Jobs Are Going, Boys, And They Ain’t Coming Back

Demolition starts today at the old Ford plant in Highland Park, at the southwest heel of Saint Paul. 

Because they just don’t build Ford Rangers anymore, due to the vanishing market for half-ton pickups, leading to the complete bagging of the model, I’m sure.

Nothing to do with the state’s business taxes and environmental regulations.  Perish the thought.

2 thoughts on “These Jobs Are Going, Boys, And They Ain’t Coming Back

  1. In the mid 80’s, the Saint Paul Ford plant got a >$200 mil upgrade to take some of the load of building Ranger trucks off the plant(s) in Louisville, KY.

    Haven’t seen it, but I’m sure the Louisville, KY. plants are girding for the kiss of the wrecking ball too, ’cause it’s all about Ranger trucks, y’know. Let’s see…

    Wait, Wha?

    “Ford vendor growing near Louisville Assembly Plant”

    “AEL-Span LLC, a Belleville, Mich.-based contract logistics provider, has signed a lease for a second Louisville location, this one at 6712 Grade Lane.

    Robert Walker, an industrial broker with Louisville-based Commercial Kentucky Inc., represented the company in the deal for 81,000 square feet.

    He said AEL-Span scouted a handful of sites near Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE: F) Louisville Assembly Plant. It already operates a 50,000-square-foot facility on Robards Lane in Louisville.”
    http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2013/06/03/ford-vendor-growing-in-louisville.html

    Growing? More like doubling!

    Why would they do that when the plant is doomed as doomed can be?????

  2. Half-Ton pickup market is strong, it’s the compact pickup market that has gone away in North America. Ford ceased production of the Ranger in Louisville in 1999. Louisville now assembles the Escape, a compact SUV.
    They were producing Explorers in Louisville until it was downsized and production moved from Louisville to Chicago, Ford’s oldest continuously run auto assembly operation, as the Explorer is on the same platform as the Taurus which is assembled there. This kind of shoots the high tax, high regulatory argument in the foot… but, according to the ChiTrib, Illinois gave Ford nearly $6 million in incentives to move Explorer production there and Ford’s holding another $25 Million in unused tax credits from previous expansions.
    I don’t know AEL-Span or their intentions with Louisville, but within 150 miles of Louisville there is a new Honda plant (Greenville, IN) and existing Toyota plants in Lexington & Evansville. It is also home of United Parcel’s main facility so a number of logistics related firms have set up shop there.
    The replacement of Twin Cities assembly with a likely park/bike path/green living community will result in a fraction of the tax base Twin Cities assembly provided. This will help prove Margaret Thatchers theory true very quickly. It will take a lot of LGA to keep the Socialists flush with other people’s money.

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