Ford restarts production at US truck plants

Automaker Ford Motor has restarted production of its top-selling F-150 full-size pickup truck after weeks of shutdowns.

Ford's Dearborn truck plant in Michigan and its Kansas City assembly plant in Missouri--both of which produce the steel-and-aluminum-intensive F-150--restarted operations yesterday, Ford said. Both had ceased production of the pickup truck for two weeks in the most recent cutback due to a shortage of semiconductors.

The Kansas City plant has also restated production of its Transit van. Ford also restarted full production at its Chicago assembly plant, home of the Explorer SUV, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator SUVs after running a reduced schedule for two weeks.

A recent two-week closure at Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan, plant, which produces the Mustang and the Lincoln Continental sedan, has also ended.

Ford also restarted production at its Otosan van plant in Turkey.

The restarts come as some US steel service centers said US automakers are likely to start consuming more steel in the coming weeks to match rising production.

General Motors (GM) will increase output of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks by 1,000 trucks/month beginning in mid-July, the company said. Shipments of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickup trucks will increase by 30,000 units from mid-May through 5 July as vehicles that had been partially built are fully fitted with semiconductors.

Other US-based GM plants will forgo their traditional summer shutdowns.

While some recovery is being made in the North American auto market, there are still impacts from the lack of semiconductors. Nissan reported that production of its full-size Titan pickup truck and midsize Frontier pickup truck at its Canton, Mississippi, plant will run on a reduced schedule for all of July, while its Altima sedan line at the same facility will shut down production for two weeks from 12-25 July.

By Rye Druzin