Ford Cutting Back on Summer Shutdowns to Meet Demand

For the second consecutive year, Ford is shortening its traditional 2-week summer shutdown for a majority of its U.S. assembly plants to meet demand for its products.

Twenty-one facilities, including six assembly plants, will see only one week of summer hiatus this year, resulting in production of an additional 40,000 units. For full 2013, Ford is adding an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity.

“To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling cars, utilities and trucks, we are continuing to run our North American facilities at full-manned capacity,” Jim Tetreault, vice president-North America Manufacturing, says in a statement.

“Approximately 75% of our plants are running at a 3-crew, 3-shift or 4-crew pattern in order to ensure we’re getting more of our products into dealerships,” he says.

Factories taking one week of shutdown are Chicago; Cuautitlan, Mexico; Hermosillo, Mexico; Louisville, Kentucky Truck; Michigan Assembly; and Oakville and Windsor, ON, Canada.

Eight other facilities, including two stamping plants, three engine factories, one transmission plant and forging and tool-and-die operations, also will be idled for one week.

Ford will perform routine maintenance and model-year changeover work at five assembly plants, including Dearborn and Flat Rock, MI; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY, and Avon Lake, Ohio.

The 200,000 additional units will come from the Chicago, Flat Rock and Kansas City facilities. Most of the extra production will comprise the Ford Explorer SUV, Fusion midsize sedan and F-Series pickup.

The auto maker earlier warned it could face capacity constraints and rising U.S sales. Through April, Ford’s U.S. sales climbed 12.3%, compared with like-2012, to 794,305 units, according to WardsAuto data.

Ford’s North American facilities have been pushed to the limit, with total capacity utilization at 114.0%, up from 103.2% year-ago. Several plants have exceeded 120%, including Hermosillo, operating at 170.8%, Chicago at 121.7%, Kentucky Truck at 128.7%, Louisville Assembly at 127.2% and Michigan Assembly at 138.9%.

In another move to keep pace with demand, Ford recently announced it was adding 2,000 new jobs at its Kansas City plant and more than 1,400 at Flat Rock.

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