Ford Motor Company recently said that it is cutting shifts at two plants that build its highly profitable flagship F-150 pickup trucks starting next week due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips and warned the issue could result in the loss of 10% to 20% of planned first-quarter production in 2021.
Ford, the No. 2 US automaker, stated that it would run one of three shifts of production at its Dearborn Truck Plant the week of 8 February 2021, while the truck portion of its Kansas City Assembly Plant will run two of three shifts of production during that week. Both are expected to return to three shifts the following week.
Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said the production losses stemming from the semiconductor shortage could lower Ford’s adjusted earnings by USD 1 billion to USD 2.5 billion in the same quarter. It also stated that the company would continue to prioritize and allocate chips to the highest-margin vehicles when it can. It’s going to be a logistic effort to do that in moving forward during pandemic situations.
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The company declined to state anything on what part or supplier was involved or how much volume would be lost.
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. General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen AG, Nissan Motor Co, and Subaru Corp. are the other automakers hit by the component shortage.
Automakers are looking to fast-track plans for agile manufacturing processes and supply chains as they prepare for a volatile demand environment after the Covid-19 global pandemic. In fast-moving mass production industries such as automobiles, production schedules are rigid and optimized for efficiency. Similarly, supply chains work on schedules decided months in advance based on demand projections. However, carmakers like Ford are now looking to redesign these systems to cater to an unpredictable demand environment.
Information technology companies servicing automakers said they had received requests from companies looking to quickly move to agile manufacturing processes and supply chains and undertake cost reduction initiatives.
Officials at Ford and other OEMs such as Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, and Nissan say they have been hit by the shortage and have been forced to delay production of some models to keep other factories running. Moreover, Ford had scheduled downtime next week at its Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant but moved it ahead to this week. This plant is aimed at manufacturers of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair small SUVs.