Ford Invests $1.3 Billion in Kentucky Truck Plant
Ford invests $1.3 billion in tooling and upgrades at its Kentucky Truck Plant to support production of the ’17 Super Duty pickup. The heavy-duty trucks join their light-duty siblings in getting aluminum bodies.
DEARBORN, MI – To meet anticipated demand for its aluminum-bodied Super Duty pickup trucks, Ford is investing $1.3 billion in upgrades at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, including an all-new body shop and tooling.
Ford also plans to add 2,000 jobs to support production of the ’17 Super Duty that goes on sale in late 2016. The 6-million sq.-ft. (557,000-sq.-m) facility employs 4,400.
The Kentucky Truck Plant assembles the F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty pickups and chassis cabs as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The plant has produced more than 5 million F-Series Super Duty trucks since 1999.
The additional commitment brings Ford’s investment in Kentucky to $1.5 billion since 2014, including $80 million at the truck plant and $129 million at the Louisville Assembly Plant that builds the Lincoln MKC CUV.
“Through this investment, we are continuing to show our commitment to Kentucky and the city of Louisville, as well as bringing to customers industry-leading trucks to help them take care of business and earn a living,” says Joe Hinrichs, Ford president-Americas.
The ’17 Super Duty represents the next step in Ford’s move to lighter-weight aluminum for the entire exterior and the bed of its trucks that began with the ’15 F-150 light-duty pickup. Super Duty weight saving is expected to be 350 lbs. (159 kg), despite significant upgrades in equipment and chassis components. In the F-150, using aluminum in place of steel reduced curb weight about 700 lbs. (318 kg).
There are five trim levels in the Super Duty lineup: XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum; three cab configurations, Regular, SuperCab and CrewCab; and two box lengths, 6.5 and 8 ft. (2 and 2.4 m), except chassis cab.
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