Ford to Idle Ranger Plant in December

Ford Motor Co. will idle its St. Paul, MN, assembly plant in December in order to align capacity with demand, a spokeswoman says.

“We want to make sure we're always aligned with consumer demand,” Angie Kozleski tells Ward's. “And as the industry continues to soften, we want to make sure we produce to real demand, not just continue to produce.”

The plant, which builds the Ford Ranger small pickup, was to be shuttered next year under Ford's restructuring strategy but was granted a reprieve due to rising sales of the Ranger. The plant now is slated to remain open through 2011.

Through September, Ranger deliveries fell 4.6% to 54,815 units, compared with year-ago, Ward's data shows.

The plant shutdown will last from Nov. 26 through Jan. 5 and affect about 770 workers.