Ford’s Sharonville Plant Building New Transmissions for Super Duties

Just as the 2011 Ford Super Duty can tackle any job, Ford Motor Company’s Sharonville (Ohio) Transmission Plant can build practically any transmission. So it’s only natural that the new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed automatic transmission, specifically engineered for the new Super Duty diesel and gasoline engines, is built there.

Ford made a $320 million investment in the facility in preparation for its launch of the 6R140. This includes manufacturing site investment as well as engineering and launch support for the all-new transmission. The investment was supported by Ford’s state and local government partners through tax credits and training funds. In total, nearly 100 jobs also were added at the plant as a result of the new 6R140 going into production.

“Our experienced and skilled work force is proud to build the new 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift six-speed transmission,” said Tom Thieman, Sharonville plant manager. “Given the quality awards our team has received for the previous Super Duty transmission, we are building on a solid foundation to produce the 6R140 to the highest quality standards, with a laser focus on customer satisfaction.”
The new TorqShift transmission combines proven architectures with Ford-patented control methods to smoothly manage the significantly improved torque and horsepower produced by the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine. The same basic transmission is mated to the new 6.2-liter V-8 gasoline engine, which also delivers significantly improved torque and horsepower. In addition, the new 6R140 transmission helps enable class-leading fuel economy in both powertrains.

The Sharonville Transmission Plant has been producing high-quality transmissions for more than 50 years. In fact, the plant recently received the company’s North American President’s Quality Award for Best Transmission Plant — the third in the past four years based on the quality of the 5R110 transmission that the 6R140 replaces. Sharonville Transmission Plant is the only manufacturing facility to have received this award in two consecutive years.

“The Ford Sharonville Transmission Plant is a vital part of our community and the surrounding region.  We are very fortunate to have such a successful company continue to invest in our future. Ford is important to Sharonville and their jobs are important to the families of our area,” said Sharonville Mayor Virgil Lovitt.