According to foreign media reports, Ford announced to employees on May 5 that the company would extend the downtime of several North American plants due to the intensification of chip shortage.
In addition, the scope of the shutdown will be expanded, with the latest affected plant being (Michigan Assembly Plant), a Michigan assembly plant in Wayne (Wayne), which makes Ford pickup models and is currently preparing to produce the Bronco SUV. A spokesman for the company said delivery of the Bronco would continue as planned and was expected to begin this summer.
In a memo sent to employees, Ford said production at its Chicago plant, its Flatlock (Flat Rock) plant in Michigan, and its Fmai 150 and Quanshun trucks at its Kansas City plant would be suspended for two weeks in the weeks of May 17 and May 24. Its Michigan assembly plant will also stop production within two weeks, the first time the plant has been affected by a shortage of chips.
Ford said that in the week of May 17, production at its plant in (Avon Lake), Ohio, would be limited to Super Duty cars and medium-sized trucks. In addition, production at the plant will be completely suspended during the week of May 24.
In the weeks of May 31 and June 7, the Kansas City assembly plant will adopt a single shift to complete the early production of the upcoming E-Transit electric van. Ford also said that production at its Kentucky truck plant, (Kentucky Truck Plant), would be suspended during the week of June 7 and June 14, and that the company would revamp the plant to produce the next generation of Super Duty pickups.
Ford warned last week that chip shortages would intensify, with production expected to be halved in the second quarter and lose 1.1 million vehicles for the whole of 2021.
