Ford to invest $900 million in Kentucky plant

Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images

An employee works on a Ford Motor Co. Super Duty Truck engine at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 30, 2016.

Ford Motor has plans to invest $900 million in its Kentucky truck plant, securing — not adding — 1,000 hourly jobs, the company said Tuesday.

The 1,000 positions will be centered around building Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators, which are expected to be exported to more than 55 markets globally after being completed, the carmaker said.

“This manufacturing plan allows the company to further grow its leadership as an exporter and deliver world-class Focus to North American customers in a way that makes business sense — with no U.S. employees out of a job,” Ford said in a statement.

Additionally, no U.S. hourly employees will be out of a job tied to the new manufacturing plan for Focus, the company went on.

The $900 million investment comes in addition to the $1.3 billion investment and 2,000 jobs created at the same Kentucky plant in late 2015, to build the Ford Super Duty, Ford said.

This particular plant in Louisville employs about 7,600 full-time hourly workers.

Production on these new, fuller-size vehicles will begin in the second half of 2019, Ford said.

The Michigan-based vehicle manufacturer said its latest manufacturing plan will save the company $1 billion in investment costs versus its original Focus production plan, which was anticipated to make $500 million in savings.

Read the complete press release from Ford.