Ford says F-150 truck production is back on line at Dearborn Truck Plant

Production halted for week after supplier facility fire

Ford F-150 assembly at Dearborn Truck Plant (Ford Motor Co.)

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Company announced Friday morning production of F-150 pickup trucks has resumed at the Dearborn Truck Plant after more than a week of down time due to a fire at the Meridian Magnesium Products facility in Eaton Rapids, Michigan.

"The assembly line restarted after just over a week of downtime following a supplier fire," reads a statement by the automaker. "F-150 production is targeted to restart at Kansas City Assembly Plant on Monday as well. The Ford team also has successfully repaired the Super Duty supply chain, with production slated to begin at Kentucky Truck Plant by Monday as well."

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Crews removed 19 dies from Meridian’s badly damaged facility, and in one case, moved an 87,000-pound die from Eaton Rapids to Nottingham, U.K., via an Antonov cargo plane -- one of the largest in the world -- in 30 hours door-to-door, Ford said. A die is a tool used to cut or shape material using a press.

"Faced with unexpected adversity, the Ford team, including our global supply partners, showed unbelievable resiliency, turning a devastating event into a shining example of teamwork,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president of Product Development and Purchasing. “Thanks to their heroic efforts, we are resuming production of some of our most important vehicles ahead of our original targets."