In an effort to increase output, Ford Motor Company has added a third production shift to its Michigan plant that builds the electric F-150 Lightning.
The third shift was added as the automaker expanded the recently constructed facility to reach a maximum capacity of 150,000 units by next fall.
Corey Williams, plant manager of the Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge electric vehicle center, said during a tour of the facility on Tuesday that Ford is on track to reach that previously announced production milestone.
In November, a third shift was added, increasing the number of employees at the electric truck plant from 500 to roughly 750.
According to Williams, the plant is currently operating three rotating crews of workers on 10-hour shifts seven days a week, maintaining a high level of production even as construction workers race to finish the facility’s expansion.
Williams said, “That’s how we’re doing this quickly. We’re building a product while building out the factory.
Ford originally intended to produce 40,000 Lightnings annually in a new plant situated next to its established pickup factory in Dearborn. However, after the early demand for the electric truck exceeded its projections, it decided to expand the factory in order to increase production.
MotorTrend magazine named the F-150 Lightning as its truck of the year for 2023 earlier on Tuesday. The truck’s overall performance and appeal to buyers of conventional pickup trucks were cited by the magazine’s editors as reasons why it received unanimous support for the award.
Ford sold 13,258 F-150 Lightnings through the end of November.
