Ford Motor Co. today announced a substantial investment to increase production of its F-Series Super Duty lineup. The Dearborn-based automaker plans to add 350 new jobs and invest $80 million in its Kentucky Truck Plant to meet growing demand for large pickup trucks.
DEARBORN, MI- Ford Motor Co. today announced a substantial investment to increase production of its F-Series Super Duty lineup.
The Dearborn-based automaker plans to add 350 new jobs and invest $80 million in its Kentucky Truck Plant to meet growing demand for large trucks.
Ford said the investment will pay for facility upgrades, retooling and increased capacity to meet market demand. The investment and new employment opportunities are estimated to result in a 15 percent increase in production capacity, or approximately 55,000 units.
“F-Series continues to dominate the segment, widening the gap between Ford and key competitors,” said Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. “The continued domination of F-Series has made the Blue Oval not just the industry leader for trucks, but America’s favorite truck manufacturer.”
The upgrades, according to a Ford spokesperson, have already begun and will be done in April 2014. No downtime at the plant is needed for the upgrades.
Kentucky Truck Plant produces the F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty pickups, as well as Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Today's announced investment, officials said, is for the current generation Ford Super Duty and Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
2015 Lincoln Navigator (Courtesy Ford)Ford officials had “nothing to announce today” regarding possible plans for the next generation of F-Series Super Duty trucks.
Earlier this month, the automaker unveiled its next-generation F-150 at the 2014 North American international Auto Show. The vehicle, according to Ford, is up to 700 pounds lighter than the current generation thanks to an all-new high-strength steel frame and high-strength aluminum-alloy body.
Celebrating its 65th anniversary last year, Ford F-Series, including the F-150, topped 750,000 sales in 2013, with more than 70,000 trucks sold in December after eight straight months of sales above 60,000 vehicles. On average, a single F-Series pickup was sold every 41 seconds in 2013.
“Customer demand for F-Series Super Duty trucks is growing substantially, and F-Series overall is America’s best-selling truck for 37 years running,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “Building on more than 100 years of manufacturing in Kentucky, we are proud to expand our profitable growth in the region as a result of our leadership in trucks and SUVs.”
Ford began manufacturing vehicles in Kentucky in 1913 with 11 employees. Kentucky Truck Plant, which opened in 1969, covers 6 million square feet and employs close to 4,000 people.
Most of the 2015 F-Series Super Duty lineup will be on sale this spring.