| Hot F-150 helps
Norfolk plant
Virginia Business
March 2004
Ford
Motor Co. has a big bet on its new flexible manufacturing
system — first put in place last year at its Norfolk
Assembly Plant — and so far the gamble is starting
to look like a sure thing.
The F-150 truck, which began rolling off Norfolk’s
refurbished assembly line last June, has been a hit.
Recently named Motor Trend magazine’s 2004 Truck
of the Year, the redesigned F-150 has powered record-breaking
sales. From September and December of last year the
company sold more than 300,000 F-Series trucks, with
double-digit increases during each month.
Of that total, 28 percent were 2004 F-150s — a
considerable number considering that Norfolk had turned
out just over 111,000 trucks through the end of December.
In January, sales of the F-150 as a percentage of F-Series
sales reached 43 percent.
“Bolstered by the confidence and excitement created
by the F-150, we’re ready to launch the next wave
of new products,” stated Jim O’Connor, Ford
group president, North America Marketing, Sales and
Service, in a company press release.
Of course, the success of the 2004 F-150 bodes well
for the Norfolk Assembly Plant. The hoopla couldn’t
stem Ford’s overall declining fortunes, though.
It again lost U.S. market share in 2003, dropping from
17.5 percent to 17.1 percent.
Virginia
Business - March 2004
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