Ford to start third shift in Cleveland to meet growing demand for fuel-efficient EcoBoost V6 engines

CLEVELAND - Ford's Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 announced Tuesday the addition of a third shift to meet demand for its popular fuel-efficient EcoBoost V6 engines, the cornerstone of the company's commitment to deliver affordable fuel economy to millions of people.

President of The Americas, Mark Fields, was joined by Governor John Kasich and other Ford employees in a celebration and tour to recognize the plants accomplishments.

"Our engine plant in Cleveland is the first and only facility in North America to produce EcoBoost engines, and we are tripling production capacity to meet customers' growing needs for fuel efficient engines," explained Fields.

The third shift needs 250 workers. The positions will be primarily filled by employees transferring from Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 which is ending production.

The V6 engines built at Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 power the Ford Taurus, F-150 and Flex; Lincoln MKS and MKT; the Cleveland-built 3.7 liter V6 engines also power the Mustang.

Ford introduced EcoBoost engines in 2009 on the Ford Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKS. EcoBoost technology combines direct injection and turbocharging.

This solution has been popular among customers who have purchased 180,000 of the engines since 2009. In 2011, Ford sold a record 121,000 vehicles equipped with 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 engines when F-150 began offering an EcoBoost option.

In the first quarter of 2012, Ford sold more than 39,000 vehicles equipped with the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine, representing more than a 285 percent increase from the first quarter of 2011.

Later this month, Ford will add one shift of F-150 production at its Kansas City Assembly Plant, allowing the company to better meet increasing demand for America's best-selling vehicle.