But chaos ensued as five different unions clashed and no one had control of the truck assembly line.

ECONOMIST: Car manufacturing

Merrill Lynch estimates that in North America as many as 5 of GM's 12 car assembly plants and 13 of its 19 truck assembly plants would need to close, resulting in 60, 000 white- and blue-collar job cuts.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Seven suppliers helped to erect a Volkswagen truck plant in the town, and employ three-quarters of the factory's 1, 400 workers, even participating in the truck's final assembly.

ECONOMIST: Car making

Kentucky Truck, the largest auto assembly plant in the US and the home of the Ford F-Series, ran tight over the summer to keep up with demand and from the looks of it Ford dealers will still be running short on trucks.

FORBES: Domestic Auto Sales Crack 12 Million

The first customer-ready new Ford Expedition rolled off the assembly line at the Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan, in March.

FORBES: The lemon factor

The system fits into a standard shipping container and can be sent by rail or truck to the end customer, where final assembly takes place.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The team also toured the Ford Rouge Factory, to see the final assembly process for the Ford F-150 truck.

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