Ford Truck Production Boosted in Response to Supplier Fire Disruption, 1,000 Jobs Added

In response to a major fire at a supplier, Ford F-150 and Super Duty production will be boosted while the electric Lightning will stay stalled and 1,000 jobs will be added.

The automaker said Friday it plans to build more than 50,000 additional F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks in 2026, expanding capacity at its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan and Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville.

Ford Truck Production Boosted

At the Ford Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Ford will introduce a third production crew dedicated to the F-150, enabling assembly of more than 45,000 additional gas and hybrid pickups next year. The move will create about 900 new jobs, including 1,200 positions for the third crew itself, supported by 90 new roles at Dearborn Stamping Plant and 80 at Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing Plant.

Hourly employees currently at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where production of the F-150 Lightning electric truck remains paused, will transfer to the Dearborn Truck Plant to staff the new third shift. Additional workers will come from other Ford facilities in Southeast Michigan and new hires.

At the Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford plans to increase its Super Duty line speed by one job per hour — a change expected to produce 5,000 more heavy-duty pickups annually. The plant will add more than 100 jobs and receive a $60 million investment for training and operational upgrades.

The production boost follows the Novelis aluminum plant fire in Oswego, New York, which disrupted Ford’s truck output earlier this year. The company said the move will help “recover lost volume” and ensure it can meet “record” F-Series demand.

Analysts expected the supplier fire to cost Ford $1 billion.

“The people who keep our country running depend on America’s most popular vehicle — F-Series trucks — and we are mobilizing our team to meet that demand,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s chief operating officer. “As America’s leading auto producer, we’ll work with the UAW and our suppliers to quickly increase output at our F-Series plants in Michigan and Kentucky.”

The automaker said it will focus on its more profitable gas and hybrid models as it balances investments between conventional and electric vehicles.

Also, the gas and hybrid trucks use less aluminum than the electric F-150 Lightning. Ford has also paused or reduced production of numerous other SUVs as it shakes up production with available supplies of aluminum.