By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co said Thursday it is temporarily cutting shifts at two plants that built its flagship F-150 pickup trucks starting next week as a growing number of automakers have been hit by an ongoing semiconductor shortage.
The second largest U.S. automaker said it will run one of three shifts of production at its Dearborn Truck Plant the week of Feb. 8, while the truck portion of its Kansas City Assembly Plant will run two of three shifts of production during the week of Feb. 8. Both are expected to return to three shifts the week of Feb. 15.
A spokeswoman said the automaker was “working closely with suppliers to address potential production constraints tied to the global semiconductor shortage and working to prioritize key vehicle lines for production.”
Global automakers have been caught off guard by the shortage of crucial semiconductors, used for everything from computer management of engines to driver-assistance features such as emergency braking.
Ford has previously cut other production because of the issue.
On Thursday, Mazda Motor Corp said it expects a chip shortage to result in a cut of 7,000 vehicles production this month.
Carmaker Stellantis will slow production at its Melfi plant in Italy next week due to a shortage of microchips and other parts and will put over 7,000 workers on furlough, three union sources told Reuters on Thursday.
On Tuesday, a group of 15 U.S. senators including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican John Cornyn urged the White House to work with Congress to address the global semiconductor shortage hitting auto manufacturing.
Nissan said Tuesday it was cutting truck production as a result of the semiconductor issue, adding “three non-production days on the truck line at our Canton, Mississippi, facility.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
