Ford is rumored to be considering concurrent production for old and new F-150 models in a bid to minimize supply chain disruptions and inventory. Automotive News is reporting that the Blue Oval will build both the current F-150 and its replacement, which we showed you testing just last month, side by side for about half a year before switching over entirely to next-generation production.

As IHS Automotive analyst Mike Jackson told AN, "In order to ramp up, you have to retool...and that means you have to take capacity offline." Building both models alongside could allow Ford to cope with the still strong demand for the current F-150, while populating dealer supplies and working out supply chain kinks for the new model before making a full-time switch.

A loss of capacity when demand is so strong, even for a short period, could spell bad news for Ford, which nets an estimated 90 percent of its global profit on pickups and large SUVs. As AN states, Ford produces the F-150 in both Kansas City, Missouri and Dearborn, Michigan, which allows it to maintain some degree of flexibility in production. The new F-150 is expected to arrive at the 2014 North American International Auto Show as a 2015 model, with a design inspired by the Atlas Concept first shown at the Detroit Auto Show last January.

Production of the next generation of North America’s best-selling vehicle might be delayed by almost three months.

The aluminum supplied by Alcoa and other tier 2 suppliers didn’t meet internal requirements for the “tooling tryout” phase of Ford’s pre-production process, according to a report by TTAC. That will be enough to hamper production of the next generation F-150 trucks by up to 10 weeks, blowing the brands targeted Memorial Day sales kickoff.

Ford is using aluminum body panels extensively in its new trucks – previewed in Detroit last year by the Atlas concept – and if the material’s ability to return to its original shape after being hit with a dye isn’t dead on, manufacturing can be completely derailed. While heavier, steel also isn’t as susceptible to the issue.

Because of the sub-par materials, Ford will reportedly be forced to compress its validation process in order to stem further delays. Ford’s trucks are pivotal to its success. Roughly 70 percent of Ford’s global profits come from North American sales. The company’s F-Series pickup trucks accounted for over a third of its North American sales through November.

Normally, Ford would go through two phases of pre-production vehicles before building models bound for showrooms. Those models are considered to be salable and will be pushed to dealers to minimize further delays, increasing the risk for bugs in early units and problems with Ford’s bread-and-butter product.

Ford's gamble on aluminum is looking pretty risky

Ford's decision to use aluminum body panels on the 2015 F-150 is coming back to haunt them as a report is indicating that problems with the lightweight material have pushed the launch back by approximately three months.

According to The Truth About Cars, aluminum shipments from suppliers have failed to meet specifications so the company is having problems forming the material. The suppliers are now under pressure to fix the problems, as soon as possible, so Ford can prevent further delays and launch the model by the end of 2014.

Ford has remain relatively quiet about the 2015 F-150 but previous reports have indicated the switch to aluminum body panels could enable the truck to weigh 700 pounds (317 kg) less than its predecessor.