Ford Starts Production on New Super Duty Trucks at Louisville Kentucky Plant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. December 18, 2006; Bruce Schreiner writing for the AP reported that Ford workers on Monday cheered the start of production for the new F-Series Super Duty pickup truck -- a vehicle line that company executives predict will secure the company's leadership in truck production.

The new truck, built at the Kentucky Truck Plant, features a new exterior and interior design plus a tailgate step that allows easy access to the pickup bed.

Ford invested $65 million in the truck plant for a new trim line as part of the assembly of the Super Duty truck. The plant employs 4,848 hourly workers as well as 306 salaried employees. The plant makes the F-Series Super Duty F-250 through F-550.

Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said the start of production was an important milestone in an increasingly competitive truck market.

"Our competition is benchmarking what we have today, and we've spent a lot of time developing the truck of tomorrow," Fields said. "It's a very, very important launch to us -- both from a volume standpoint, a profit standpoint and from an image standpoint of Ford being very serious about retaining its leadership in trucks."

Bob King, a United Auto Workers vice president, said the new Super Duty trucks would stack up against other vehicles in the market, including foreign competitors.