Ford President Joe Hinrichs announces the addition of 850 new jobs at Ford facilities in Dearborn, Michigan.
As the new aluminum-intensive F-150 nears production, Ford is adding 850 employees to ensure the launch goes off with out a hitch. The jobs will be added at three Michigan sites, according to the maker.
Of the new hires, about 500 will be at the Dearborn Truck Plant that assembles the pickup. Another 300 workers are headed for Dearborn Stamping the remainder will work at Dearborn Diversified, which also does stamping.
“As customer anticipation for the all-new F-150 continues to build, today we are bringing on 850 new jobs to help meet the market demand for the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas, in a statement. “The new truck sets new standards for the future of tough – right down to how it’s built.”
The Dearborn Truck Plant completely rebuilt its body shop to make the 2015 model with an aluminum body instead of the steel bodies, which have been used since 1948.
The maker is running pre-production models through the body shop now with the expectation that production will begin on Oct. 20, although it’s possible production could begin as soon as this week.
Like many plants, the truck plant runs with three shifts, but due to the complexity of the new truck more workers are needed. The plant will be the test bed for problems at the F-150 is also built near Kansas City, Missouri.
That plant will go down for six weeks early next year to rebuild its body shop to switch to the new truck.
The maker took the time during the announcement at the plant today to point out that it made good on a promise to the UAW add 12,000 new hourly jobs to plants in the U.S. by 2015. In fact, it exceeded the goal with about 14,000 new positions. While the UAW was pleased with the number, the leadership was focused on the F-150.
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“Today we celebrate the commitment to excellence that the hardworking men and women of the Rouge demonstrate every day,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president and director of the National Ford Department.
“The technology in the all-new 2015 F-150 is something the auto industry has never seen before, and our UAW members are poised and excited to build the next generation of America’s favorite truck.”
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The truck is really the first of its kind in the U.S. Aluminum, while widely used in auto industry, hasn’t been put to the test before on such a large scale for trucks. It presents new challenges, in particular, when it comes to repairs. The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the country so if this goes awry, it would present a significant problem for the maker.
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However, the upside is significant.
“The 2015 F-150 is designed to be the most fuel efficient F-150 ever, thanks to the dramatic improvements in weight and advanced engine technology,” the maker said in a statement. “Every model, every engine and every customer benefits from this weight savings.
“This means the 2015 F-150 can tow up to 1,100 more pounds, haul up to 530 more pounds and will have better fuel economy ratings than the current F-150 lineup, projected to be in the range of at least 5% and as much as 20% higher than current models, depending on the model. EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings are not yet available and will likely be announced in November.”