Ford Decision To Give Up Mexico Plant Means Potential Business For Pittsburgh Region

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An announcement on Tuesday that Ford Motor Company will not construct a new assembly plant in Mexico was well-received by local Ford dealers.

"I think it's good for the United States of America, and I think it's red, white, and I like to say blue oval," Shults Ford owner Richard Bazzy told KDKA money editor Jon Delano, referring to the iconic Ford oval.

Ford will now re-focus auto-making at its Flat Rock facility in Michigan.

"We're going to Flat Rock, and we're going to invest and create 700 jobs," says Bazzy.

That's 700 American jobs.

Ford tied its decision to what it expects to be "pro-growth policies" from the Trump administration, and the President-elect tweeted, "Instead of driving jobs and wealth away, America will become the world's great magnet for innovation & job creation." .

Ford's decision to scrap a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico is certainly good news for American autoworkers, but what does it mean for people right here in Pittsburgh?

"It's great news for western Pennsylvania," says Ron Ashburn, executive director of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology.

"It's great news for manufacturing, and certainly manufacturing has a great foothold here in western Pennsylvania," he said.

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Ashburn says this region makes the sophisticated steel grades needed in auto production, but it's not limited to steel.

"Any manufactured or engineered material that's produced in western Pennsylvania has a potential benefit for the automotive industry. That could be plastic, carbon fiber, aluminum and certainly steel," added Ashburn.

The Flat Rock facility is expected to build high-tech autonomous and electric vehicles of the future.

"That's what it's all about," said Bazzy. "It's about going forward and going further."

And doing it in America with American workers.