Ford Motor Co. next week will cut Transit van output in Missouri and truck output in Ohio and reduce shifts at a number of other plants because of the ongoing semiconductor shortage.
The automaker said production will be halted next week at its Ohio Assembly Plant, where it builds medium trucks, Super Duty chassis cabs, E-Series cutaways, and stripped chassis. The Transit side of the Kansas City Assembly Plant will also be down next week, although the side that builds the F-150 pickup will run.
Ford on Friday shuttered the Ohio plant because of ongoing protests at the Canadian border.
Additionally, output at Ford’s Kentucky Truck and Chicago Assembly will be reduced to two shifts, while production at Dearborn Truck will be cut to one shift.
“The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford’s North American plants – along with automakers and other industries around the world,” a Ford spokeswoman said in a statement. “Behind the scenes, we have teams working on how to maximize production.”
The chip crisis snarled Ford’s North America production this week, with output idled or reduced at eight plants that build some of the company’s bestsellers, such as the Ford Explorer, Bronco and F-Series pickup. Ford has said overall sales volumes will rise as much as 15 percent over last year, but the shortage will continue to upend production schedules in the first part of the year.
“Right now, it’s clear we’re still in the middle of the chip shortage, and we’re probably going to struggle for the first half of the year with it,” Executive Chairman Bill Ford told CNN last week.