Ford plans to produce 50,000 more F-Series trucks in 2026 after supplier disruption.
Dearborn plant to add third crew, supporting F-150 gas and hybrid output.
Kentucky plant receives $60 million investment to speed up Super Duty production.
Ford will boost production of its F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks by more than 50,000 units in 2026 to meet demand and recover volume lost due to a fire at a key aluminum supplier’s plant in New York. The all-electric F-150 Lightning is still on hold, with no start date announced.
Ford Halts Production of the F-150 Lightning Due to Fire at its Aluminium Supplier
The company announced plans to expand operations at two of its major U.S. truck facilities. A third crew will be added at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan to increase F-150 production, while assembly line speed will be raised at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville for Super Duty models.
At the Ford Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Ford will assemble more than 45,000 additional gasoline and hybrid F-150 trucks starting in the first quarter of 2026. The plant’s third crew will include about 1,200 workers, made up of new hires and transfers, including employees from the idled Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, which assembles the F-150 Lightning.
Ford stated it will prioritize gasoline and hybrid models due to profitability and lower aluminum requirements compared to the electric variant. Additional workforce changes at the Rouge Complex include 90 new jobs at Dearborn Stamping Plant and 80 at the Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing Plant.
In Louisville, the Kentucky Truck Plant will increase F-Series Super Duty production by over 5,000 trucks annually. The company plans to hire more than 100 employees to support a one-job-per-hour increase in line speed. Ford will invest $60 million in the plant for training and operational improvements.
Ford linked the increased production to the need to offset supply disruptions stemming from a fire at Novelis’ Oswego aluminum facility. The company did not specify how much production had been lost due to the incident.
