Ford Motor Co. (F) Wednesday said it would add an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year. In addition, Ford will produce an extra 40,000 units by idling select plants for only one week during the traditional two-week summer shutdown.
The 200,000 annual straight-time capacity additions this year will come from Chicago Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant. This includes increased production of some of Ford's best-selling vehicles including Ford Explorer, Ford Fusion and Ford F-Series.
Twenty plants, including six assembly plants, will take a reduced summer shutdown this year. The assembly plants taking one week of shutdown are Chicago Assembly, Cuautitlan Assembly, Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly, Kentucky Truck, Michigan Assembly and Oakville Assembly.
Around 75 percent of the firm's plants are running at a three-crew, three-shift or four-crew pattern to ensure that more of products get into dealerships.
Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America Manufacturing, said, "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, and we will add 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year."
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