Ford is shortening summer vacation for workers at 16 North American factories to meet growing demand for sport-utility vehicles and its new aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup.
To churn out an extra 40,000 vehicles, Ford is cutting the second half of a planned two-week break that starts June 29, according to an e-mailed statement. The change affects six assembly plants and 10 parts factories for models such as the Explorer, Edge and Escape SUVs, as well as the F-150, Ford’s top seller and biggest moneymaker.
The second-largest U.S. automaker is responding to rising demand for bigger vehicles as gasoline prices stay relatively low. By contrast, Ford this month is cutting a shift of 700 workers at a factory that makes small cars and hybrids.
2015 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew
Derek McNaughton, Driving
“To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling trucks and utilities, we are continuing to run our North American facilities during the traditional two-week summer shutdown,” Bruce Hettle, Ford vice president of North American manufacturing, said in the statement.
The assembly plants that will be idled for just one week are Chicago, Dearborn Truck in Michigan, Kansas City in Missouri, Kentucky Truck and Louisville in Kentucky, and Oakville in Ontario, the company said.
The new F-150 is selling in an average of 20 days after it reaches dealer lots, while the redesigned Edge is moving in 10 days, Ford said. Dealers typically keep a 60-day supply of vehicles in stock.
Ford said in April that it planned to boost North American production in the second quarter by 13,000 vehicles, or 1.6 per cent, to 815,000 cars and trucks. The Dearborn-based company said the additional output announced Tuesday was included in its April financial forecasts.
The 2015 Ford Edge.
Graeme Fletcher, Driving
