Ford to shift hundreds of workers to F-150 Lightning plant, hire 300 new employees

Ford Motor Co. is planning to shift hundreds of workers from the Dearborn Truck Plant to the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center this summer, the Detroit Free Press has learned.

As Ford ramps up its all-electric F-150 Lightning production to an annual run rate of 150,000 vehicles, in an effort to meet overwhelming customer demand, the automaker will shift an 800-person crew from one plant to the other in Dearborn, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker confirmed Tuesday.

“We will also hire an additional 300 new (hourly) employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center as we scale toward max production,” she said.

Shutdown to expand

The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center is scheduled to shut down for six weeks, from June 19 to July 31, to complete the factory expansion, she said.

“With the new staffing plan, Ford will have about 1,800 employees building the F-150 Lightning on three crews. At the same time, we’ll build gas-powered F-150s with 2,600 employees on two shifts at Dearborn Truck Plant and 2,800 people on three crews at the Kansas City Assembly Plant,” she said. “This will give Ford maximum overall production and flexibility to meet high demand for America’s bestselling truck, gas and electric.”

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That second plant in Claycomo, Missouri, provides the flexibility needed to keep up with demand for Ford Blue and Model e vehicles, as the company strives to grow its market share of electric vehicles while continuing to dominate the pickup truck segment overall.

Lightning production was disrupted last month after a battery fire in a parking lot in Dearborn. Ford said the issue that caused the problem had been resolved by SK On, the battery supplier.

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UAW members push hard to be part of history

Bernie Ricke, president of UAW Local 600 in Detroit, which includes more than 8,000 members at the Rouge site, told the Free Press that building Lightning trucks is widely viewed as being part of the “new evolution of the auto industry.”

The UAW has been working with the company since the launch of the Lightning to expand the facility, he said.

“The day it opened it was too small, literally it was,” said Ricke, who sounded upbeat while recovering from back surgery six weeks ago that left him with eight screws and rods in his body. “This expansion is good for the workforce, the surrounding community, the company, everybody.”