The commercial success of the Lincoln MKC has led Ford to hire 300 new employees and make a $129 million investment in the Louisville assembly plant. The factory began building the 2015 MKC in May and is ramping up production to meet increasing demand.
In 2010, Ford invested $600 million in the Louisville plant to transform it into a modern, flexible facility with tooling and facility upgrades in its final assembly area and body shop. The plant is now able to build multiple vehicle models at the same time, without requiring downtime for tooling changeover.
“The UAW and Ford remain steadfast in our commitment to Louisville with the addition of Lincoln MKC to Louisville Assembly Plant’s production line,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president, National Ford Department. “The 300 new jobs add to the plant’s 4,600 UAW team members – a fantastic feat enabled through the collective bargaining between the UAW and Ford to support U.S. manufacturing,” he added.
With the addition of the 300 employees, Ford is closing in on its goal of creating 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States by 2015. The automaker says the new $129 million investment is also helping to support more than 110 suppliers across the United States, including 17 in the commonwealth of Kentucky.
The second of four all-new Lincoln vehicles that will be introduced by 2016, the MKC crossover will go on sale in China when the brand debuts there later this year. From May through July, Lincoln sold 2,895 MKC crossovers.
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