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Ford Retools KC's F-150 Plant for 2021 Models
The Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant will be retooled for the F-150 2021 models in October 2020. Employing, 6,900 people, the Assembly Plant is one of KC's top employers.
The Kansas City Business Journal, August 2020

Highest Selling Pickup Truck in the U.S.
The Ford F-Series vehicles, made in Kansas City, maintained its long standing leadership in that segment. Ford's results were also enough to push total 2019 U.S. vehicle sales to 17.1 million units, making it the fifth straight year they have finished above 17 million.
Forbes, January 2020

Top 20 Cities Hiring the Most Workers
Job openings, annual payroll and highest paid jobs earned KC a spot for one of the top cities hiring the most workers. CNBC Make It, December 2019

Chris Gutierrez

President | KC SmartPort

816.591.7311

Chris leads KC SmartPort business development and provides thought leadership to the supply chain industry in Kansas City.

Automotive Manufacturing

In the last decade, the Kansas City region has seen significant economic investment from the automotive sector. Reinvestment in General Motors’ Fairfax, Kan. operation ($650 million in 2013 and $245 million in 2016) and Ford’s Claycomo, Mo. facility ($1.2 billion in 2011) has resulted in a surge of interest and investment from automotive suppliers looking to the KC region for new facilities.

Kansas City has been named the #2 auto industry trading hub in North America by the Brookings Institution and employs more than 15,500 individuals in the auto industry. Ford’s KC plant has been cited as its most productive worldwide, producing the new Ford Transit Van and best-selling F-150 truck.

The Basics

Employed in KC Manufacturing
106,708
JobsEQ, 1Q 2020
Note: Data represents KCADC 18-County Region

Employed in KC Transportation Manufacturing
20,941
JobsEQ, 1Q 2020
Note: Data represents KCADC 18-County region

Annual Automobiles Made in KC
658,000
Center for Automotive Research, 2019

Value of KC Transportation Manufacturing
$16 billion
2012 Economic Census

Existing Presence

Kansas City is a center for automotive manufacturing and activity as a host of prominent companies operate within the region. Some of these companies include, but are not limited to: Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Garmin, Adient, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., LMV (Magna) Automotive Systems, Peterson Manufacturing Company, Yanfeng USA, Challenge Manufacturing Co., Janesville Acoustics, Grupo Antolin, Lear Corporation, Martinrea Riverside LLC, Magna Seating of America and U.S. Farathane LLC.

Workforce Demographics

Manufacturing workers in Kansas City are 9% more productive than the national average, as measured by JobsEQ in Q4 2019 for output per worker. Automotive transportation production workers in Kansas City have similar age and educational attainment characteristics as the national average. However, Kansas City's automotive manufacturing workforce is three percent younger on average than the aging U.S. automotive production workers.

Auto Manufacturing by Sex

Auto Manufacturing by Age

Auto Manufacturing by Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2018

Kansas City is creating a 21st Century Workforce by cultivating a pipeline of preparation through education and training.

Manufacturing industry leaders, education and training providers, and the public workforce system are working together to assess critical hiring needs and the core competencies necessary to fill open positions. This is creating leading-edge education and training programs specifically designed to meet industry’s most pressing needs, like the implementation of the MT1 Certification.

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