DEARBORN, Mich. -

For the second year in a row, Ford Motor Co. has announced it will increase capacity to meet strong demand for its products on dealership lots.

The increase will come in the form of an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year, along with production of an extra 40,000 units by idling select plants for only one week during the summer, instead of the traditional two-week shutdown.

“To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling cars, utilities and trucks, we are continuing to run our North American facilities at full manned capacity, and we will add 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year,” said Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America Manufacturing.

“Approximately 75 percent of our plants are running at a three-crew, three-shift or four-crew pattern in order to ensure we’re getting more of our products into dealerships,” he said.  

The 200,000 annual straight-time capacity additions this year include increased production of best-selling vehicles including the Ford Explorer, Fusion and F-Series. Those capacity additions will come from Chicago Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant.

Also at Kansas City Assembly Plant, Ford in early May announced the addition of a third crew, which is included in the 200,000 increase.

Additionally, 20 plants will take a reduced summer shutdown this year, of one week, including assembly plants Chicago Assembly, Cuautitlan Assembly, Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly, Kentucky Truck, Michigan Assembly and Oakville Assembly.

To meet demand for its vehicles, Ford said the company will add nearly 3,500 hourly jobs in 2013.

With its latest announcement of more than 2,000 new jobs at Kansas City Assembly Plant, and more than 1,400 new jobs at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, Ford reported it is three-quarters of the way to its plan to create 12,000 hourly jobs in the U.S. by 2015.

The company hired more than 8,000 salaried and hourly employees in the U.S. last year.