CLAYCOMO, Mo. — Ford sells an F-150 pickup truck every 45 seconds in the United States. Demand for the truck means Ford Motor Company will add 2,000 jobs to its Claycomo plant by the end of the year.
Nine hundred of those new workers will be dedicated to the F-150 and will be added over the next month. Those hired will work a third shift for the production of the Ford F-150. The other 1,100 new employees will be added later in the year and will be designated to work on the company’s new Transit van.
“This third shift is needed to keep up with the surging demand for this popular vehicle,” said Gov. Jay Nixon. “A testament to the quality of this product and the skills of those who build it. As governor, quite frankly, I simply could not be prouder that the best pickup truck in the world, made by the best workers in the world is built right here in Missouri.”
Sales of Ford’s pickup trucks are up 19 percent this year compared to last. And the fact that Ford’s F-Series of pickups has been the best selling pickup for the past 36 years means job security for those working at the plant.
“Customer demand for today’s F-150 is strong and continues growing, the truck segment is growing three times faster than the overall industry, the housing market is strengthening, and we are seeing growth in the U.S. economy,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Our ‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150 is America’s favorite pickup, and we are going to expand operations in Kansas City to ensure we have enough trucks to meet customer demand.”
Many of these new hires will be former Ford workers currently not working but overall, the company plans to hire about 1,000 brand new employees.
Ford is investing more than a billion dollars to retool and expand the facility for the Transit van production. And with more than 2,400 people currently working at the plant, the added jobs will only help Ford remain one of the largest private employers in the state.
Ford has a goal of creating 12,000 new production jobs by 2015. The announcements for the Claycomo plant are helping the company meet 75 percent of that goal.
