Trending

Ford to restart F-Series truck production at 2 factories

/ CBS/AP

Ford phasing out traditional sedans to focus on SUVs, trucks

Ford (F) said it could restart production of the F-Series pickup as soon as May 18 at two factories that stopped making trucks due to a fire at a parts supplier plant.

A spokeswoman says Friday that production should resume in Dearborn, Michigan, and Kansas City, Missouri. Super Duty pickup assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, will remain idle but workers will keep producing big SUVs.

Earlier this week Ford temporarily laid off 7,600 workers after a May 2 fire at Meridian Magnesium Products in Michigan. A spokeswoman says Ford is working with Meridian and others to get parts. At the time, Ford said it had an 84-day supply of vehicles in its inventory, so customers "will not have problems finding F-series truck."

Also Friday, Mercedes said it ran out of Meridian parts at its SUV plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. As a result, production was canceled Thursday and Friday. No layoffs are expected. Employees will work next week on a limited schedule.

Ford says one F-150 comes off the line every minute between the two plants. Ford sold 73,000 F-150s last month. 

First published on May 11, 2018 / 6:22 PM EDT

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.