Workers who currently build the Escape and Mustang will soon build transmissions and big Ford SUVs.
Ford has seen a continued rise in the popularity of the F-150 pickup along with the Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator, while seeing decreased demand for smaller models including the Escape and the Mustang. According to Bloomberg, the automaker will support its hotter models by cutting shifts from two plants, but rather than laying off workers, those employees will be transferred to other plants.
In other words, Ford is slowing production of several models, but instead of layoffs and plant closures, the Motor Company is reducing production at two plants and providing those production workers with jobs at other plants.
SUV Switch in Kentucky
First up, in the spring of 2019, the Louisville, Kentucky plant that builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC will drop to two shifts from three. That will remove the need for 500 workers at that plant, but they will be moved over to the Kentucky truck plant that builds the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigator and an array of Super Duty F-Series pickups.
The key purpose of these new workers at the Kentucky truck plant will be building the big SUVs, as the Expedition and Navigator are selling like hot cakes right now, so these workers will go from building small SUVs to building huge SUVs.
Pony Cars to Transmissions in Michigan
In Michigan, the Flat Rock plant that produces the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln Continental will move from two shifts to one. When that happens, around 500 workers will be moved to the Livonia transmission plant, where components for the F-150 and Rangerare produced.
While the Mustang is expected to be the only car from the current lineup to survive the pending end of Ford’s car-mageddon, sales of the pony car are down and sales of the Continental aren’t strong enough to keep two shifts working in Flat Rock. However, the F-150 is selling strong and the Ranger is sure to be a hot-seller, so those folks building pony cars and luxury sedans right now could soon be building transmissions for America’s bestselling trucks.
Not everyone loves the shift away from cars, but Ford is making decisions to bolster their best-sellers while maintaining the same workforce, helping to keep their production workers employed through the changing market.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
