| Ford Motor Co. announced that it has entered into | | | | track." |
| agreements with two companies to sell Michigan | | | | In connection with the plant's sale to Flex-N-Gate, |
| and Mexico auto parts plants. | | | | Steve Stamper, president of UAW Local 600 at |
| The companies are Flex-N-Gate Corp. and | | | | the Michigan fuel tank plant said, "It's better than |
| Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. The former is a | | | | being closed." The plants were previously part of |
| privately held manufacturing company based in | | | | Visteon, the automaker's parts wing that |
| Urbana, Illinois. It has agreed to purchase the | | | | eventually become a separate company in 2000. |
| operation in Milan, about 35 miles southwest of | | | | In 2005, the automaker bought back some plants |
| Detroit. The plant is utilized by the automaker in | | | | and created Automotive Components Holdings |
| the production of automotive grills and bumpers. | | | | LLC. It is now responsible for producing |
| According to the automaker, the auto parts plant | | | | automotive and architectural glass, chassis, auto |
| includes salaried employees leased from Visteon | | | | interior, powertrain components, and Ford climate |
| Corp. and United Auto Workers union hourly | | | | control. Said holding company operates 10 plants in |
| employees leased from Ford. | | | | the United States and 3 in Mexico. |
| Meanwhile, Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc., | | | | Aside from selling parts plants, Ford is also |
| headquartered in Novi, agreed to purchase the | | | | absorbed in global restructuring. Mark Fields, |
| Jarudo automotive fuel rail factory of the | | | | president of Ford Motor Co.'s Americas division, |
| automaker in Mexico. Said factory has about 500 | | | | said that global restructuring of the automaker's |
| workers. Cooper-Standard is a world leader | | | | management team will help give him the |
| automotive supplier that specializes in the | | | | resources he needs to turn around the company's |
| manufacture and marketing of systems and | | | | struggling North American business. Fields added |
| components for the auto industry. Ford had | | | | that the reorganization will allow Ford to better |
| agreed to sell its climate-control business to a | | | | leverage its global product development resources. |
| French automotive supply company named Valeo | | | | However, he said that it will take years for the |
| SA. The automotive operation is based at a plant | | | | effort to bear its full fruits. "It accelerates getting |
| in Plymouth Township. Al Ver, Automotive | | | | our products to market as we share architecture |
| Components Holdings chief executive officer and | | | | and components," Fields said. |
| chief operating officer said, "We're on the right | | | | |