Ford is adding shift at factories meeting demand for Escape and F-150
Filed under:Ford, Trucks-Pickups, SUV, Lincoln,
FoMoCo made the announcement just now that it will add a 3rd shift to its Truck Plant in Dearborn and Kansas City Assembly Factory’s sport utility lineup; all this for meeting powerful demand for Escape and
F-150, Ford cars. This action will be adding employment full-time for 2,800 people thaat worked on a 2-weeks-on, 1-week-off schedule.
Ken Czubay, the Ford vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service said 'Even with ‘Cash for Clunkers’ behind us, we expect that demand for our fuel-efficient, high quality new vehicles will remain strong. We had a solid July sales month, and we are headed toward an even stronger August. We’re being as creative as we can in pushing the system to meet the demand for our products'.
The changes will bring extra production: 10,000 F-150 pickup units and 2,400 Escape SUV cars. 'We continue to work together with the UAW to find solutions in our manufacturing facilities that will make them more efficient and our business more competitive' affirmed Joe Hinrichs, the group vice president, Global Manufacturing, Labor Affairs. 'The operating pattern changes we are making in these two plants will accomplish both goals, while helping Ford to better meet real customer demand for Ford vehicles'.
Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford Escape set a sales record in July of 20,241 units, meaning 16 % share of the SUV department in the 1st seven months just in July.
Ford F-150, best-sold pickup for 32 years, had its best U.S. sales of this year - 36,327 sold cars. 'Customers are taking notice of Ford’s fresh new lineup, and they recognize our best-in-class quality, fuel efficiency and smart technology' stated Mark Fields, the president of Ford The Americas. 'In fact, both internal and external studies show a positive trend in the percentage of consumers with favorable opinions about Ford and our vehicles. When customers decide to pick up a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury for their driveways, we want to be ready for them'.
