Steel Products
Ford Pauses Work on $3.5B Battery Plant: Report
Written by Becca Moczygemba
September 26, 2023
Ford Motor Co. said on Monday that it has stopped work at its $3.5-billion project for an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Michigan, according to media reports.
“We’re pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the (Marshall, Mich.,) project until we’re confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant,” an article from MarketWatch on Monday said, citing a Ford spokesperson.
The automaker announced the investment back in Feb. 2023. The plant would be the first automaker-backed lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in the country, according to the original press release from Ford.
Named the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, the plant would employ approximately 2,500 people. Ford had planned for LFP battery production to begin in 2026.
The MarketWatch article said that a final decision about the planned investment in BlueOval has not been made yet.
After the announcement, United Auto Workers (UAW) union president Shawn Fain released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “This is a shameful, barely veiled threat by Ford to cut jobs.”
“Closing 65 plants over the last 20 years wasn’t enough for the Big Three, now they want to threaten us with closing plants that aren’t even open yet,” Fain said on X. “We are simply asking for a just transition to electric vehicles and Ford is instead doubling down on their race to the bottom.”
Recall that the UAW has been on strike against all three Detroit-area automakers since Sept. 15 at targeted plants. An expansion of the strike was announced last Friday against General Motors and Stellantis, but Ford had been spared. Fain said at the time that at Ford “they are serious about reaching a deal.”
Becca Moczygemba
Read more from Becca MoczygembaLatest in Steel Products
OCTG producers form trade association to promote domestic industry
Six US manufacturers of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) have come together to establish a Washington, D.C.-based trade association to promote the domestic industry.
Metalformers optimistic for early 2024
Optimism is on the rise among metalformers who expect less volatility in economic activity in the coming months, according to the November business report from the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).
BREAKING NEWS: Nucor up $40/ton on plate
Nucor Corp. announced in a letter to customers on Tuesday afternoon that its plate mill group would increase as-rolled discrete plate, normalized, and quenched-and-tempered plate by $40 per ton ($2 per cwt).
SSAB increases plate prices by $60/ton
SSAB Americas has announced plans to increase plate prices by at least $60 per ton ($3 per cwt), with the opening of its January 2024 order book. The price hike applies equally to as-rolled, normalized, quenched-and-tempered, and wide cut-to-length plate products. It is effective immediately on all new, non-contract orders, the company said in a […]
October imports inch higher, but flat rolled at a six-month low
The increase in steel imports from September to October was higher than license applications had suggested earlier this month.