Ohio Assembly

Ohio Assembly Plant
Operated1974–present
Location
IndustryAutomotive
Productscommercial vehicles
Employees1,700 (2024)
Area419 acres (1.70 km2)
Volume3,700,000 square feet (340,000 m2)
OwnerFord Motor Company

Ohio Assembly Plant (OHAP) is a Ford Motor Company factory located in Avon Lake, Ohio. The 3,700,000 sq ft (340,000 m2) plant sits on 419 acres and originally produced the Ford Econoline/E-Series van.

As of 2024, the plant has over 1,700 employees, and is represented by the UAW Local 2000.

History

1974–2014

The plant was opened in 1974 to produce the Ford Econoline/E-Series van.

On April 14, 1992, the plant began producing the Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest minivans for the 1993 model year. The $1.037 billion investment (across its Ohio Operations) added nearly 1,600 jobs to the facility.

On January 11, 2002, Ford Motor Company announced it would lay off 970 workers at the Ohio Assembly Plant as part of a massive global restructuring plan that cut 35,000 jobs worldwide and 22,000 in North America. Due to cutbacks, Ford ended production of the Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest minivans at the plant on June 28th of that year. Also in the same year, the company announced it will build the Ford Escape SUV at the plant by 2003. In August 2004, the plant also began production of the Mercury Mariner SUV, which is based on a same platform with the Ford Escape.

In August 2005, Ford transferred production of its Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs from the Ohio Assembly Plant to the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Missouri, to make room for more E-Series production. The company also consolidated its E-Series production at the plant after the Lorain Assembly Plant shut down on December 23rd of that year.

2014–present

In 2014, the plant stopped producing the Ford E-Series van in passenger and cargo variants, which was replaced by the Ford Transit van (built in Kansas City, Missouri) for the 2015 model year, although cutaway van and stripped chassis variants will continue to be built at the plant for heavy duty applications. In August 2015, production of the medium-duty Ford F-650 and F-750 (previously made in Mexico) began at the plant.

In the summer of 2016, production of the 2017 F-350, F-450 and F-550 chassis cab began at the plant to supplement capacity for the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2017, Ohio Assembly received the coveted Q1 Quality Award for highest build quality off the assembly line.

In 2022, Ford announced a $1.5 billion investment to expand the Ohio Assembly plant by adding 1,800 new union manufacturing workers, roughly doubling the plant's existing workforce of about 1,740 workers. Originally scheduled to produce an all-new electric commercial van, the plant will begin production of the gasoline and hybrid commercial van in 2029.

On August 13, 2026, two UAW unions filed charges against Ford, alleging the company is violating its contract regarding grievance procedures.

Products made

Current

Former

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ohio Assembly Plant". Ford Motor Company. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Ford to Move Production of All-New 2016 F-650/F-750 Medium-Duty Trucks from Mexico to Ohio Assembly Plant in Early 2015". Ford Motor Company. March 7, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Ford Motor Company Ohio Assembly Plant - Avon Lake, Ohio". Ford Authority. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ "A Van Vanguard". Los Angeles Times. July 20, 1992. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Ford calls Ohio its second home". UPI. April 7, 1992. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Ford to cut 2000 jobs in Ohio". Record-Courier. January 11, 2002. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Future looks brighter in Ford restructuring". Morning Journal. January 12, 2002. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Ford plant marks end of minivan era". Morning Journal. June 28, 2002. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Ohio to build Escape in 2003". Automotive News. May 6, 2002. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Ford begins building Mariner". Automotive News. August 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2026 – via ProQuest.
  11. ↑ "USA: Ford to close Ohio assembly plant in 2005". Just Auto. June 25, 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Closing a Ford plant". Morning Journal. December 19, 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Ford to Shift Medium-Duty Truck Production From Mexico to Ohio". WardsAuto. March 7, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ford celebrates the start of F-650/F-750 medium-duty truck production". Detroit Free Press. August 11, 2015. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Symbolic First 2016 F-650/750 Shown at Ohio Plant". Heavy Duty Trucking. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ford Announces Investment, Expansion, and a new Electric Vehicle for the Ohio Assembly Plant". City of Avon Lake Ohio. June 2, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ford abandons electric van plan for Ohio assembly plant". The Business Journals. December 16, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Local leaders say Ford to pivot production, delay Ohio timeline". WEWS. January 14, 2026. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  19. ↑ "2nd UAW Local files charge against Ford over grievance procedure". The Detroit Free Press. August 13, 2026. Retrieved August 14, 2026.

41°29′27.11″N 82°3′54.98″W / 41.4908639°N 82.0652722°W / 41.4908639; -82.0652722