Ford is investing $25m at its Kentucky plant to increase production of its Lincoln Navigator, Expedition SUVs in order to meet increasing customer demand.
The company claimed that Navigator retail sales were up triple digits in most regions across the country last month.
Last month, Navigator’s sales doubled, with growth in key markets such as Florida, Texas and California.
The new investment brings Ford’s total investment at Kentucky Truck Plant to $925m.
It enables the company to increase manufacturing line speed. Ford boosted production targets for full-size SUVs about 25% since fall
Prior to this investment, Ford invested $1.13bn at the plant in late 2015, where 2000 jobs were created.
As part of the manufacturing ramp up, the company will install 400 new robots, a new 3D printer for workers to make parts and tools more quickly and cheaper as long with enhanced data analytics to keep the assembly line moving as efficiently as possible.
The data analytics claims to keep tab of thousands of concerns in near-real time. The data analytics hub has seven big-screens that provide a minute to minute updates that let plant officials know whether or not production is meeting its hourly targets or if there is a concern that needs to be addressed.
Ford Global Operations president Joe Hinrichs said: “The response from customers regarding our new full-size SUVs has been exceptional.
“Using a combination of Ford’s advanced manufacturing and American hard work and ingenuity, we’ll deliver more high-quality Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions to customers than originally planned.”
The Kentucky truck plant was opened in 1969 and presently it has a work force of more than 8400 with 8100 hourly employees. The plant manufactures Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Super Duty vehicles.
