(WXYZ) — A global supply shortage is impacting jobs right here in metro Detroit.
Beginning Monday, the Ford Truck Plant in Dearborn is temporarily cutting shifts because the automaker doesn't have enough chips – or semiconductors – needed for auto parts to make vehicles.
The plant is where the F-150 is made, and another plant in Kansas City is also joining the list of plants forced to cut shifts, while several other auto giants are idling production due to the shortage.
The Dearborn Truck Plant is cutting two shifts per day and going down to just one shift due to the shortage, but it is temporary, with it expected to be back up to three shifts by Feb. 15.
It begins Monday when the F-150 won't be rolling off the assembly line as quickly for the next 10 days.
Ford, Nissan, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and General Motors are all slowing production due to the global chip shortage.
“We are working closely with suppliers to address potential production constraints tied to the global semiconductor shortage and working to prioritize key vehicle lines for production, making the most of our semiconductor allocation,” Ford said in a statement.
GM is halting production at three assembly plants next week in Kansas, Ontario and Mexico, and operating at half capacity at a plant in South Korea due to the shortage. GM didn't say how much volume it was expected to lose.
As for Ford, it's eyeing a loss of 10-20% in the first quarter of 2021, something the company said during a recent earnings call.
Slowed production in Dearborn is just the latest backlash from this chip shortage for Ford, which previously said it would also cut two out of three shifts at its Chicago Assembly Plant.
Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant is also down this week, as it was last week, due to the shortage.
In Dearborn, there are more than 4,000 hourly workers at the plant, so it will temporarily affect a lot of families.
