Ford to Increase F-150, Escape Output

Ford Motor Co. says it plans to add third shifts at its Dearborn, MI, and Kansas City, MO, plants to meet demand for the F-150 pickup and Escape cross/utility vehicle.

Ford previously announced it would boost Escape production at Kansas City due to increased demand generated by the recent “Cash for Clunkers” program, but the need for more F-150s comes as a surprise.

In a statement, the auto maker says it expects to post its first year-over-year sales increase for F-Series trucks since October 2006, when it reports its August data on Tuesday.

To meet demand for the F-150, the Dearborn truck plant will add another 10,000 F-150 units to its production slate, resulting in full-time employment for 2,800 employees who had been working on a two-weeks-on, one-week-off rotating basis since April. The changes at the plant go into effect in late September, Ford says.

The addition of a third crew at Kansas City, when combined with previously announced incremental overtime that began earlier this month, will result in an additional 2,400 Escapes and Mercury Mariner CUVs.

Employment levels at Kansas City remain unchanged, as the plant moves from two shifts to one on its pickup line. The changes there are effective mid-October.