Ford has hired nearly 1,000 new employees at its Kansas City Assembly Plant to prepare for the launch of the all-new Ford Transit that goes on sale in the United States this summer.
The company also will hire 175 additional employees by March to help build the new Transit.
The all-new Transit builds on its more than 45 years of heritage in Europe, where it is the best-selling medium commercial vehicle nameplate. On sale this summer, Transit will offer the widest choice of roof heights, wheelbases and body lengths to maximize flexibility, plus a full suite of onboard features and technologies that are intuitive, easy to operate and designed for business. Three proven powertrains will offer best-in-class mileage with plenty of performance to get the job done, while also providing alternative fuel options.
Transit is one of 16 new North American products – and 23 global products – Ford will launch in 2014, triple the number of new products Ford launched last year in North America.
Transit eventually will replace Ford E-Series, which has reigned as America’s best-selling van for 35 years.
“For decades, Ford E-Series has been the leading choice among business owners for a tough, durable cargo vehicle that also delivers unmatched flexibility and capability,” said John Ruppert, Ford general manager, commercial vehicle sales and marketing. “Transit is the natural successor to E-Series, taking flexibility and capability to new levels, while also adding in superior fuel efficiency.”
Kansas City Assembly Plant is home of the 2014 F-150 and will begin producing the all-new 2015 F-150 in the first quarter of 2015. The 1,000 employees announced today are part of more than 2,000 jobs that have been added at the plant to meet growing demand for Ford trucks, and to launch production of the all-new Ford Transit van. To prepare for the new van, 300 employees started work at the plant in late 2013, with an additional 300 workers joining the week of Jan. 6 and 400 more this week.
Jobs at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant increased more than 35 percent year-over-year, with approximately 3,400 employees in 2013 and more than 4,600 who will report for work by March.
The additional jobs at Kansas City Assembly Plant come as Ford continues to retool and expand the facility through a $1.1 billion investment for Transit production. When Transit production begins nearly 275 suppliers nationally and six suppliers locally will grow their businesses through job creation and manufacturing investment.