The new manufacturing facility of Ford in Kansas City is now on stream and it seems that its first order of business is to contribute in increasing the production of the 2015 Ford F-150.
In a press release issued by the American carmaker on March 13, the same day that its Kansas City Assembly Plant began its operations, Ford said that it will intensify production of the all-new Ford F-150.
Along with the startup of production of the new Kansas City Assembly Plant, Ford has also stepped up assembly work on its existing Dearbom Truck Plant in Michigan by instituting three operational shifts every day.
This only shows that the carmaker is now working overtime to catch up with the strong demand as well as make up for the production backlog for the toughest, smartest, and most capable F-150 pickup truck ever.
Fast mover
The 2015 Ford F-150 is not just a fast-moving vehicle on the road, it is also fast-moving in practically all North American dealerships. According to Ford, the all-new F-150 is turning more than four times faster than the overall full-size pickup truck segment.
In fact, Autoblog cited that the all-new Ford F-150 only spends 18 days on dealer lots, which indicate how hot it is among pickup truck enthusiasts.
Ford also recorded its best month in terms of sales for the 2015 Ford F-150 in January which only necessitates an increase in production to sustain the prolific money-making prowess of the revered pickup truck line.
Joe Hinrichs, president of Ford America, said in a statement that the 2015 Ford F-150 has surpassed the company’s expectations as it set new standards for full-size truck capability, technology, and efficiency. He said that with the startup of production at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, Ford is now in a better position to meet growing customer demands for the all-new F-150.
Billion-dollar expansion
Ford has been building F-150 for decades at its Kansas City Assembly Plant. But due to the massive demand for the pickup truck, the American carmaker had to undertake a $1.1 billion expansion to accommodate increased production of its all-aluminum 2015 pickup truck and also its 2015 transit van model.
The carmaker spent 13 months in upgrading the Kansas City Assembly Plant including the facility’s body shop, paint shop, and putting up a road-test course. It was a mirror of the same expansion that Ford did for its Dearbom Truck Plant a few years back.
As a result, the facilities of the Kansas City Assembly Plant have been transformed with the latest in manufacturing technology capable of producing the F-150 that features high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body and bed.
In addition to building the all-new F-150s, the Kansas City Assembly Plant also manufactures customize F-150s with 8-foot cargo boxes and heavy payload packages to meet the needs of commercial fleet customers.
Also as a result of the expansion, more than 900 jobs were opened in the Kansas City Assembly Plant. With two manufacturing plants on stream simultaneously, Ford is now capable of building 700,000 trucks per year.