I assume this process is ongoing and has been for weeks now? Anyone have numbers as to what this new truck is costing Ford Motor retooling-wise?

 

I'm sure it's in the billions but, it's the cost of being a sales leader.

 

I highly doubt they'd publicly release that kind of information. I also don't think it'll be that much more than for any other new model.
Whenever possible, they download those costs to thier suppliers. Like that fancy new rear window that slides and defrosts, Magna International is building it, and they probably supply it as an assembly to Ford.

 

I'm sure it is more of "re-programming" more then re-tooling now adays.

 

Out with all the spot weld robotics and in with the new rivet and stickeys robotics. Quite an expense and task!
See How The 2015 Ford F-150 Is Built At A Whole New Level Of High Tech

 

This is a massive and expensive gamble for Ford, but they have a history of rolling the dice. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. I hope it works this time but I see those who really use their trucks where they might get dings being somewhat skeptical. How about other user costs, like insurance? Will body shops have to tool-up and train to deal with aluminum bodies? I will, as the old saying goes, 'hide and watch' to see what happens.

 

I just love how people are all worked up about the all aluminum body of the F150. And how they think it's all new never before done. When it's not. I highly doubt that it's going to cost Ford anymore for retooling for this as compared to building the same truck in steel. Also at this point I'd say the "gamble" isn't a gamble anymore. It's more so the future. GM stated last month that they're going to move up the release of their next gen trucks by 9 months. And they just came out with the current truck last year. Fact of the matter is they got caught with their pants down so to speak, and they know it. And Ram I'm sure will follow suit very soon. Hell I bet the main reason that the competitors are waiting as long as they are to build their next gen trucks with aluminum intensive bodies is because of the patents that Ford has on this truck. I heard that the competitors have to wait about 8 years to make the change. This is just another method the manufacturers are using to try to ensure they comply with the CAFE standards set by the feds.

 

Ford is a publicly traded company. That information will be published in the quarterly financial reports.

Yes, it will be incredibly expensive. The switch to aluminum body panels requires a total redesign of that portion of the assembly line that stamps, assembles, mounts and paints the truck.

 

Not only the factory re-tooling cost, but the body shop upgrades for needed repairs, that's going to be a lot of coin too.

 

Kudos to Ford once again. A revolutionary attitude towards utilizing modern technology to their benefit. I am looking forward to seeing and driving one of these units.

 

Me too, Ford is definetly taking the reins, the others will be following with aluminum bodies soon enough.

 

Yes, then you'll see the price of aluminum repair level off.

 

Ford ripping up history at Dearborn Truck plant | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

$359M

 

The 2015 is no bigger of a risk than the 1996/97 body style change over. They lost a few sales back then and it'll be the same for the first couple years possibly. I have no issues really with FoMoCo using Aluminum on the body, it'll just be as strong if not stronger than the same sheet steel they have been using in the past generation. This maybe a radical change but its going to happen eventually with all the crap they have to be compliant by 2025 for 54.4 mpg average set by CAFE (IIRC). The money spent in re-tooling will be made up for in sales of the new trucks in no time.

With the robots its probably just change out the spot welder head for a rivet head and just program the new head in. I'm not sure who they use for the robots but my guess its probably Fanuc (pronounced Fan-ik or Fan-ook). Doesn't really take much to change it out. But just means that there will be more parts to keep restoring on the machines rather than not having to do so with a spot welder.

Just hope all the millions they have spent in the last 5+ years with R&D will pay off. Would hate to see this truck not live up to all the hype it brought in when it was in the ATLAS conceptual truck.

 

From Detroit Free Press- all snippets cut and pasted from the article

Starting Monday, about 1,100 tractor-trailers will bring in new equipment and haul away old machinery to rebuild the body shop.
■ More than 1,500 workers from Ford and its suppliers will be demolishing the old body shop and building a new one to make the 2015 F-150 out of aluminum.
■ Dearborn Truck produces about 1,200 F-Series trucks a day.
■ It takes about 20 hours to produce one F-Series truck.
■ Dearborn Truck employs about 3,600 employees.
■ The plant is 2.6 million square feet with a 4.2-mile assembly line.
■ The 299 robots in the body shop will be replaced. There are 40 robots in the paint shop and 8 in final assembly

Ford is investing $359 million in Dearborn and a comparable amount at its second pickup assembly plant in Kansas City, Mo. Hettle said the cost is not out of line for a major and complicated launch.

Dearborn is the lead plant and thus the guinea pig. Workers on three crews built F-150s flat out until the last one rolled off the line Saturday about 1:30 a.m. and Kansas City will continue to build the 2014 model through the end of the year, so dealers should not run out of the 2014 model any time soon. The new truck goes on sale later this year.
Dearborn Truck plans to resume production Sept. 21 when two crews of workers return. A third crew will be recalled Oct. 20 when the construction is to be fully completed. They will start with preproduction trucks. The plant is scheduled to be building production models at full line speed by the end of the year.
The Kansas City plant will shut down in early 2015 for its changeover, which should take less time because Ford already will have validated many of the processes in Dearborn, Hettle said.