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Third Shift Workers Start At Claycomo Ford Plant

Dan Verbeck
/
KCUR 89.3

As promised in May, Ford Motor Company began a third assembly line shift Monday at the Claycomo Plant.

The 900-worker expansion brings the total of rank and file UAW jobs to some 4,500. The emphasis of the additional team will be making the F-150 pickup.

Plant manager Dan Jowiski said potential workers went through pre-interview testing to see if they were qualified to do the job. That was in late April, just before Ford started beefing up the force.

Jowiski cited strong company ties to the area when the jobs were announced this spring. 

“Ford Motor Company has had a history of over one hundred years in the Kansas City area. As a matter of fact, Henry Ford himself chose the Kansas City area as the first assembly plant outside of Detroit," said Jowiski. "Since then Kansas City Assembly has been home to the Falcon. The Fairlane, the Escape and the F-150 since 1957.”

The Transit commercial van is expected to be built at Claycomo starting next year. Ford has said it invested more than $1 billion at the plant since 2011.

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