The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Semiconductor shortages force more production cuts at plants
Chip makers have put more capacity toward consumer products.
Automakers have been expanding and extending production cuts at some U.S. plants as they cope with a worsening global shortage of semiconductors.
Chips for use in cars and trucks have been harder to come by as semiconductor makers have allocated more capacity to consumer products like smartphones, TVS and computers. Recent weather-related disruptions of petrochemical supplies in the southern U.S. and a fire at a chipmaking plant in Japan have exacerbated the shutdowns.
Consultant Alixpartners has said the global chip shortage could cost automakers $61 billion in lost sales this year.
Here’s the current situation for some top U.S. manufacturers:
General Motors
General Motors said its Wentzville, Missouri, assembly plant will take two weeks of downtime starting Monday. The company’s Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan, which idled production March 15, is extending downtime by two weeks.
Ford
The company halted production at a commercial vehicle factory in Avon Lake, Ohio, this week with plans to resume output on
Monday. Ford also has dropped one shift at a truck plant in Kentucky until Monday.
Stellantis
The company said production of its Ram Classic pickup trucks in Warren, Michigan, will be affected “for a number of weeks.”
Tesla
The electric-vehicle manufacturer said in a 10-K filing that “increased demand for personal electronics has created a shortfall of microchip supply …”
Nissan
The Japanese automaker resumed output this week on an assembly line at a factory in Canton, Mississippi, that had been
suspended since Saturday. The company also stopped a production line at a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, last week, with hopes of resuming production this week.
Toyota
An unspecified petrochemical shortage is affecting output at plants in Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and West Virginia. On Sunday, Toyota said it is trying to gauge the fallout from the fire at the semiconductor plant owned by Renesas Electronics.
Honda
Honda suspended production last week at plants in Alabama, Indiana and Ohio, blaming the impact from the pandemic, chip shortages and severe winter weather on its supply chain.