Ford to Shut Main F-150 Plant for 11 Weeks for Aluminum Change

Ford Motor is planning for the big change and “says it will have to shut its main F-150 truck factory at Dearborn, Mich., an unusually long 11 weeks to make the changes necessary to build the the 2015 F-150 out of aluminum instead of steel,” reports USA TODAY.

“The other F-150 factory, at Claycomo, Mo., will be down a brief two weeks during 2014 for the changeover, but will go through additional down time in 2015, Ford says.”

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“General Motors shut its three pickup truck factories five, seven and nine weeks, spread across months, to change to building the redesigned, 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, according to a report in Motor Trend magazine. GM wouldn’t confirm that or offer specifics, ‘for competitive reasons.'”

In metal price news for aluminum…
On Tuesday, January 28, the Indian aluminum cash price fell by 0.9 percent, making it the day’s biggest mover. On the LME, the cash price of primary aluminum declined 0.9 percent to $1,711 per metric ton. On the LME, the 3-month price of aluminum fell 0.8 percent to $1,756 per metric ton.

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Chinese aluminum prices were mixed for the day. The Chinese aluminum cash price weakened by 0.6 percent. The price of Chinese aluminum scrap was unchanged. The price of Chinese aluminum billet held steady. For the fifth day in a row, the price of Chinese aluminum bar remained essentially flat.