ST. PAUL, Minn. - With a Ford Ranger truck plant here under a cloud of uncertainty, Gov. Tim Pawlenty paid a visit to the automaker's headquarters Wednesday but said the state wouldn't simply "throw cash out there" to retain the factory.
Pawlenty and two top aides met for more than an hour with three Ford Motor Co. executives in Dearborn, including Anne Stevens, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Americas.
The Minnesota officials left without assurances that the truck plant will be spared when a company restructuring plan is announced Jan. 23. But Pawlenty said the Ford team reiterated that no final decisions have been made, despite published reports that pegged Minnesota's plant for closure.
Pawlenty is promoting a public-private partnership that would convert the plant into one focused on building flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on more than just gasoline. Minnesota is a leader in ethanol production, so Pawlenty said it is a natural fit for Ford's future plans.
The governor acknowledged the falling sales of Ranger trucks, saying changes could be crucial to saving the plant's roughly 2,000 jobs.
"There is going to need to be a pivot point of some fashion," Pawlenty said. "We need to explore with Ford what that pivot point is."
He and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Kramer said specific financial incentives weren't discussed.
While Pawlenty said he is confident Minnesota can make Ford a more attractive offer than other states, he said any aid package won't be a giveaway.
"Don't jump to the conclusion we are just going to throw cash out there," he said.
On Tuesday, a company spokeswoman declined to assess the value of trips by delegations like Pawlenty's or say which other states have sent top officials.
Ford has said it needs to restructure to reduce costs and production capacity in response to a falling market share.
The No. 2 U.S. automaker had around 23 assembly plants and 122,877 employees in North America at the end of 2004. Analysts have said at least eight assembly plants are at significant risk of closure.
Even as they fight to keep St. Paul's plant, Kramer said the state is preparing for a worst-case scenario. If the plant were to shut down, a rapid response team would be dispatched to help laid-off workers deal with the situation.
"We don't want to think about it," Kramer said, "but we have."
AP Auto Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.
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