Windsor to benefit from Ford's production of F-Series pickups in Oakville starting in 2026
Ford Motor Co. will begin assembling its F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks at its Oakville, Ont., assembly plant starting in 2026, and the Essex Engine Plant in Windsor stands to benefit, the company announced Thursday.
Ford said it will be spending approximately $3 billion US to expand Super Duty production, which includes $2.3 billion US to install assembly and integrated stamping operations at the Oakville facility.
The move will support 1,800 jobs at the plant and add capacity of up to 100,000 additional units, the company said.
Unifor has welcomed the announcement with national president Lana Payne saying this new retooling plan for the Oakville plant addresses the union's concerns with Ford Motor Company's decision to delay new vehicle production for a period that was too long, too disruptive, and too harmful to accept.
"Working with our local unions and company executives, we came to an agreement that will not only see our members back to work sooner, it protects our members' jobs well into the future," Payne said.
Windsor's Ford engine plant pictured in a August 2023 file photo. (Dax Melmer/CBC)
As a result of the production volumes of Super Duty trucks in Oakville, Ford anticipates increasing engine production volumes at the Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, which employs Unifor Local 200 members, the union said in a news release.
The Essex Engine Plant manufactures V8 engines for the Super Duty trucks.
The U.S. automaker had said there would be layoffs associated with the delay to its plans to spend $1.8 billion to transform the Oakville site into a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing.
Deal could bring 150 new jobs to Windsor-Essex
Unifor's auto council chair John D'Agnolo described the announcement as "incredible news," saying it will bring more jobs to Windsor-Essex.
"It's exciting news for not just Oakville but for Windsor too because the snowball effect, the trickle down, it's going to allow 150 more jobs in our community," D'Agnolo told CBC News.
"If Oakville gets bigger, we get bigger, so this is exciting."
He said there's a lot of work that has to be done to get ready for the production at the Essex plant.
"Once we get close, there will be some training that needs to be done for the workers," D'Agnolo.
He said he does not have an exact timeline when the machines will be installed to produce the engines.
Good news for suppliers: APMA
The Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) also welcomed the announcement, with president Flavio Volpe telling CBC News it gives parts makers and suppliers a sense of stability going forward.
He said a lot of suppliers who were facing uncertainty about volume, now have something to look forward to.
"If you're a supplier … [this announcement] helps you plan on what you are going to do with your current workforce, what do you do with your current supply relationships — there's some real certainty there," Volpe said.
"I note as well that going with the Super Duty platform means they are also upping jobs in Windsor at the Ford Windsor engine plant."
Production at the Oakville plant ceased with the final Ford Edge rolling off the assembly line in May 2024. Super Duty truck production will replace previous production plans to build Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) in Oakville. In April 2024 the company announced its decision to delay the launch of BEV production from 2025 to 2027.
Unifor said the delay would have resulted in its members being laid off for more than three years.
Since the delay was announced in April 2024, Unifor says it has been engaged in negotiations with the company to push for additional support mechanisms for workers and an accelerated resumption of production at Oakville.
"Finding a solution to support our members was multi-layered and extensive," said Local 707 Oakville plant chairperson Marc Brennan. "This shift in direction reaffirms Ford Motor Company's commitment to our members."
