Ford adding 900 new jobs at Michigan Assembly Plant to increase production for Bronco, Ranger
(CBS DETROIT) - Ford will create 900 new jobs and add a third crew at its Michigan Assembly Plant to meet demand for the Bronco and Ranger vehicles, the company announced Friday.
The company said that 900 new hires and 700 employees from the Rouge Complex who applied for job openings will make up the new third shift.
The new shift was created to meet demand for production of the Bronco, Bronco Raptor, and the all-new Ranger and Ranger Raptor that are scheduled to launch sometime this year.
While increasing production for the vehicles above, the company said it will scale back on producing gas-powered and hybrid F-150 trucks.
"We are taking advantage of our manufacturing flexibility to offer customers choices while balancing our growth and profitability. Customers love the F-150 Lightning, America's best-selling EV pickup," said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. "We see a bright future for electric vehicles for specific consumers, especially with our upcoming digitally advanced EVs and access to Tesla's charging network beginning this quarter."
Due to this change, about 1,400 employees will be impacted. About 700 of those workers will move to work on the new shift at the Michigan Assembly, and the other workers will be put in different roles at the Rouge or other facilities in Southeast Michigan.
In addition, Ford says employees at component plants that support F-150 Lightning production may be affected, but the company would provide placements within Southeast Michigan for those workers.