Alcoa Davenport Works and its pivotal role in the new all-aluminum Ford F-150 are in the spotlight in the latest edition of Popular Mechanics magazine.
The story, titled “Finally, someone built an Aluminum Pickup Truck,” takes a look at the Quad-City plant’s production of the aluminum being used in the new truck as well as Ford’s decision to switch from steel construction to lighter-weight aluminum.
The author, Ezra Dyer, chronicles his visit to Davenport Works as well as his delivery of a coil of aluminum — using a trailer pulled by a new 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4×4 — to Ford’s Dearborn, Mich., stamping plant.
The story appears in the May edition, which hit newsstands this week.
According to Alcoa spokesman John Riches, Ford delivered one of the new pickups to Davenport Works for Dyer to use to deliver the 5,000-pound of aluminum coil.
Dyer toured the sprawling Alcoa plant with manufacturing director Rob Woodall, who led him through the entire production process, including the plant’s new $300 million expansion.
“Being in a major magazine like Popular Mechanics helps to reinforce the pride our employees have in our connection to Ford and the F-150,” Woodall said. “This article also highlights the transformation of Alcoa and the impact Alcoa aluminum is having on the entire automotive industry.”
Davenport Works completed its automotive expansion in early 2014 to meet the auto industry’s increasing appetite for aluminum. The company has previously said the project, which included a new Auto Treatment Line, created 150 jobs and retained 200 jobs.
“Davenport is excited about the F-150, and not just because it brought new jobs and a major upgrade to the plant,” the Popular Mechanics story said, pointing out that half the workers’ trucks at Alcoa’s parking lot are F-150s.
The magazine also looks at how the Ford workers take the aluminum sheet to transform it into truck parts.
Alcoa Davenport Works featured in Popular Mechanics - Quad City Times
No comments:
Post a Comment