A third shift will be added to Ford Motor Co. The Windsor annex plant will produce the automaker’s new 6.8-litre internal combustion engine for the F-Series Super Duty Trucksa union official said Thursday.
The plant will supply the automaker’s assembly plant in Kentucky, said Tim Little, vice president of unifor Local 200, which represents more than 1,600 hourly workers at two engine facilities in the southwestern Ontario town, which straddles the Detroit border.
Current production of the 6.2-liter engine will cease at Windsor by the end of the year, with assembly of the 6.8-liter engine beginning in January, Little said.
The number of jobs has not yet been finalized, he said, adding that “so much is tied to this truck plant in Kentucky.”
Ford of Canada officials were not immediately available for comment.
The news of the upcoming third team was first reported by The Star of Windsor.
ENGINES ON ENGINES
In addition to the annex plant, Windsor is home to a second plant, which assembles the 5.0-liter Coyote engine for the F-series pickup trucks and the Ford Mustang.
Windsor Annex also builds the 7.3-liter for F-Series Super Duty trucks.
The award for the 6.8-liter engine program stems from the Detroit Three’s last round of negotiations, Little said.
It also comes as Ford increases investment in its highly profitable F-Series program to meet consumer demand and help fund its electrification strategy. In September, the automaker announced plans to invest US$700 million and create 500 jobs at its Kentucky plant to produce its 2023 model year F-Series Super Duty products.
A standard 6.8-liter V8 engine replaces the current 6.2-liter V8, and a new high-output 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel V8 will be offered. These will join the 7.3-liter V8 and 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel V8 to give the trucks what Ford says are best-in-class towing, payload, torque and horsepower figures.
Heavy-duty pickup trucks are among the few vehicles that still see heavy investment in the development of more powerful gasoline and diesel engines. While the segment isn’t huge, the money involved is. Ford Motor Co. says it earns more revenue from Super Duty sales alone than Southwest Airlines, Marriott International and many other Fortune 500 companies.
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