April 10, 2014
Andrew Wendell

When Ford announced earlier this year that its new F-150 would employ aluminum for the majority of it’s construction, speculation that insurance, repair, and manufacturing costs would increase began to circulate almost immediately.

We investigated the first two concerns at the time, finding them to be less disconcerting than originally expected, and, judging by the majority of comments from our Backfires members, the enthusiast community agrees with us. But to be fair, it will be at least a year after the aluminum F-150 goes on sale before enough real-world data enters the information stream to completely understand the cost implications. Now, according to an article in Automotive News, Ford has found a way to improve efficiency on the manufacturing side via innovative recycling methods, saving the maker $124 per pickup truck as compared to traditional recycling methods, and cutting the per-truck cost of switching to aluminum to $750.

The news comes from a stock analyst at CLSA Americas, who reports that pneumatic scrap recycling equipment, which is slated to be installed at Ford F-150 plants in Dearborn, Michigan, and Kansas City, Missouri, will significantly offset the additional costs by optimizing the recycling process. Incorporating four different grades and thicknesses of aluminum, each F-150 leaves behind about 310 pounds of scrap metal in the stamping processes that produce fenders, doors, hoods, beds, and more.

Source
Car and Drive