Ford Motor Company’s Kansas City Assembly Plant is getting a boost in order to get ready for a new, U.S.-spec model. Slated to join the Blue Oval’s fleet in 2013 and work alongside the compact Transit Connect van will be Europe’s best selling commercial vehicle: the full size Transit. A $1.1 billion investment will make sure Kansas City has every bit and piece from the paint shop to the stamping floor so that the van can be built. The debut of the 2013 U.S. Transit will coincide with the launch of the next generation European model.
“Our plans for transforming Kansas City Assembly and constructing a new integrated stamping plant to support Transit production demonstrate just how committed Ford is to our employees, the city of Liberty and the broader Claycomo community,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. In order to keep up with the fast approaching increase in capacity, Ford will hire 1,600 new workers for Kansas City. Built alongside the Transit will continue to be the F-Series trucks. Starting in May, the plant will also start manufacturing the truck in two shifts instead of the current one.
Source: Ford
