The global chip shortage has already impacted vitally important plants that produce the For F-150, and now more shutdowns are on their way.
Reuters reports that more production shutdowns are coming from April 19-26 at Ford’s plants in Chicago, Flat Rock, Michigan, and Kansas. Its truck plant in Louisville, Kentucky, meanwhile will have downtime from April 26 to May 3.
The shutdowns will be offset, Ford hopes, by canceling many of its plants’ annual summer breaks. The measure was announced in a letter from Ford to factory workers earlier this week.
Although production delays have already affected Ford, the need to stop work at its Michigan and Kentucky trucks plants will undoubtedly be unwelcome news. The F-150, in the middle of a generational update, is the brand’s most important vehicle.
Read More: Ford Cancels Summer Shutdown At Most Of Its Factories
That said, the entire automotive industry is feeling the impact of the global chip shortage. The industry has called on the White House to help with supply issues, which has vowed to help tackle this issue.
Some help may be on its way, though. Earlier this week, Intel announced that it could start producing automotive-specific semiconductor chips within six to nine months.
The chips are used in many aspects of automobile design and play an important role in engine management. Indeed, Ford already tried to take the measure of finishing some trucks without a chip, resulting in lower fuel economy ratings.
Analysts estimate that the industry-wide vehicle production shortfall may amount to 1.2 million vehicles as a result of the chip shortage.
