Dearborn Truck Preparing for F-150 Production
By Paul Dodd
DEARBORN, Jan. 14, 2003 (FCN) -- Equipment and people have been steadily streaming into the all-new Dearborn Truck Plant for several months now. Anticipation is running high for the beginning of a new era in vehicle manufacturing at the new home of the fabled Ford F-150.
"Everything is running on schedule," said Dearborn Assembly plant manager Rob Webber, who will serve in the
2004 Ford F-150
same capacity at Dearborn Truck. "Our quality is excellent, and we are hitting all of our targets and milestones. We've welcomed in more than 100 employees from other facilities."
Once up and running later this year, Dearborn Truck will be the company's flagship for "lean manufacturing" -- an industry-wide benchmark of maximum efficiency and highest quality, which was first conceived and articulated by Henry Ford in the 1920s. The plant also will set new standards for employee ergonomics, physical comfort and safety.
As exciting as Webber's team is to tackle the challenge of building the all-new F-150, it is mixed with a tinge of sadness for the employees of Dearborn Assembly. For 40 years, the plant has been the home of the Ford Mustang, an American icon that has literally provided the livelihood for multiple generations of Dearborn Assembly employees.
"This is the birthplace of the Mustang, and the Mustang has been very good to the employees here, putting food on their tables, clothes on their backs
Dearborn Truck will be the company's flagship for lean manufacturing
and their kids through college," Webber said. "They are going to miss the comfort of a familiar friend."
While there are new machines and equipment that need to be put in place at the plant, Webber's biggest challenge is getting all of the right people in the right places to produce one of the most important vehicles in Ford's lineup.
"I am really lucky to have a great management team in place here and a great UAW workforce. There is a lot of visibility for this product through all of the external communications, so we have to make sure these people are ready," said Webber.
Dearborn Truck eventually will be Ford's most flexible plant, able to produce up to nine different models off three different vehicle platforms.

 

That's good to hear because Norfolk sure screwed up my truck. Quality Control department must have had the day off.

 

I have a truck that was built at the Norfolk Plant and with the exception of the temperture gauge reading issue, I have not had any problems. With any new entry into the market a few problems can be expected. Yours must be the one...

 

i'm going to agree with carpenter. with 1400 on the odo, it's been flawless and came exactly to spec. On the flipside. DTP is an amazing facility. Top of the line auto assembly plant, bests anyone i've ever been inside. A completely revolutionary assembly line.
-ii

 

Hopefully DTP is a flexible enough plant to allow Ford to finally produce an F-150 SuperCrew with a 6.5' bed!!

Maybe it is just me, but those Toyota Tundra ads that highlight the fact their full-size four door trucks have a 6'+ bed are starting to annoy me, given that Ford has chosen not to offer a truck configuration (1/2 ton, 4drs & 6'+ bed) which both GM and Toyota now both do.

Come'on Ford, time to wake up and smell the coffee!! Are you listening yet!?!?

 

I wonder with this more efficient plant and the Job 2 "de-optioning".......how much cheaper will the F-150 be? Will this plant start up for the 05' model year when the KC plant goes down for 2 weeks in June?

 

dloreanwiz -- I don't know the specific Job 1 date at Dearborn but the latest Ford Dealer News Bulletin (DNB 0401) dated 1-9-2004 states a 2004 Model Year Balance Out date of 9-17-2004 and Model Year 2005 Job 1 date of 9-20-2004.