In a significant reshuffle of its workforce and production strategy, Ford Motor Co. is ramping up its Michigan Assembly Plant to meet soaring demand for its Bronco and Ranger models while simultaneously easing off on the F-150 Lightning electric pickup's production. The Dearborn-based automaker revealed plans to add nearly 900 new jobs as it introduces a third crew to the Wayne facility, as reported by dBusiness.
Seeking to capitalize on the popular Bronco and Bronco Raptor, as well as the all-new Ranger and Ranger Raptor, Ford attaches this expansion plan to a new 1,600-person third crew at the Michigan Assembly Plant, a move intended to prop up future production volumes. According to Green Car Congress, the crew will encompass around 700 Ford employees from its Rouge Complex who eagerly sought job openings. The Michigan plant is gearing up to transition from a five-day-a-week to a seven-day schedule, utilizing three crews in two shifts.
While gas-powered and hybrid F-150 trucks wait to scale up production based on client interest, the demand for the electric F-150 Lightning has seen a decline prompting a production downshift. Ford, the second-best-selling electric vehicle brand in the U.S. last year, with the F-150 Lightning leading as the nation's top electric truck, witnessed a 55 percent sales hike in 2023 but anticipates a slower growth trajectory for 2024. "We are taking advantage of our manufacturing flexibility to offer customers choices while balancing our growth and profitability," stated Jim Farley, president, and CEO of Ford, as featured in a release by Bronco6G Forum.
Approximately 1,400 employees face impacts due to the reprioritization as the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center scales back to one shift starting April 1. About 700 out of them will latch onto new opportunities at the Michigan Assembly Plant, while others will be reassigned within the Rouge Complex, if not elsewhere in southeast Michigan, or might opt for the Special Retirement Incentive Program brokered in the 2023 Ford-UAW contract. Ford assures it will provide placements for those who are affected at component plants supporting F-150 Lightning production, depending on the uptake of the retirement program.
