Editorial: New life, new hope for Ford in St. Paul

Two-year extension is a chance to explore long-term options.

Last update: July 24, 2008 - 6:45 PM

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There's an upside to $4-a-gallon gas prices after all. Ford Motor Co.'s decision to extend the life of its St. Paul plant through 2011 is the result of increased consumer demand for the relatively fuel-efficient Ford Ranger pickup.

The two-year extension is great news for the Highland Park plant, which still has about 1,000 workers on the payroll, down from 2,100 in 2005.

And it's a positive development for St. Paul, where the manufacturing sector has experienced major layoffs.

It'll be an even better story if the extension buys time for Ford to redesign the Ranger and retrofit the plant to continue manufacturing in St. Paul beyond 2011. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who deserves credit for continuing to lobby for the plant even when an extension looked unlikely, said Thursday that he would work with the company, its unions and state and local officials to develop a longer-term plan for the plant. That's the right approach.

Retired University of St. Thomas manufacturing Prof. Fred Zimmerman told the Star Tribune that a hybrid engine is one possibility for a new Ranger, but an easier transition for the plant would be production of high-efficiency diesel engines.

The two-year extension will give key stakeholders a chance to explore all of the possibilities. In the meantime, it's worth celebrating a true oddity -- a positive business story in 2008.

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