Ford Motor Co. is ramping up its truck production capacity, including at the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP) in Louisville, with a $60 million investment and new job openings.
The move follows a September fire at Novelis’ aluminum plant in New York, a key supplier for Ford’s vehicle production. The incident disrupted aluminum supply, impacting the production of F-Series trucks, including the Super Duty models made at KTP.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company is “working intensively with Novelis and others” to secure enough aluminum to keep production moving. Ford estimates a negative financial impact of $1 billion or less between its 2025 and 2026 outlooks due to the fire.
“We have made substantial progress in a short time to minimize the impact in 2025 and recover production in 2026,” Farley said.
To offset the shortfall, Ford plans to increase production by over 50,000 trucks in 2026, adding 100 new jobs at KTP for the Super Duty line and 900 jobs at the Ford Rouge Complex in Michigan, where the F-150 is produced.
The new hires at KTP will help boost assembly line speed, enabling the plant to produce 5,000 additional Super Duty trucks in 2026. The $60 million investment will support employee training and other upgrades needed for this expansion.
“The people who keep our country running depend on America’s most popular vehicle — F-Series trucks — and we are mobilizing our team to meet that demand,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s Chief Operating Officer. “As America’s leading auto producer, we will work with the UAW and our suppliers to quickly increase output at our F-Series plants in Michigan and Kentucky.”
The Novelis fire had earlier forced KTP to temporarily halt production of its Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. While the plant is currently running, it’s operating on one shift due to ongoing supply issues. Galhotra said production should ramp up once Novelis resumes full aluminum output, hopefully by early December.
Despite the challenges, consumers won’t see major effects, as Ford confirmed there’s enough vehicle supply to meet current retail demand. The incident also won’t affect the upcoming all-new EV truck or the retooling of the Louisville Assembly Plant.
Ford Reports Record Third Quarter Earnings
The production update comes just as Ford announced record-breaking third-quarter earnings. The automaker reported $50.5 billion in revenue for July–September — a 9% increase from the same period in 2024 and its second consecutive quarter of record revenue, said CFO Sherry House.
House noted that without the Novelis fire, Ford would have raised its yearly guidance, highlighting strong business growth. While third-quarter costs tied to the fire were minimal, financial impacts will appear in the fourth quarter.
However, Ford also reported a $700 million loss linked to the ongoing tariff situation supported by President Donald Trump.
“We are heading into 2026 as a stronger and more agile company,” Farley said. “We will continue to focus on execution and on quickly making the right strategic calls on propulsion, partnerships, and technology that will create tremendous value for our customers.”
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