Ford will shut down its Kentucky plant for a week while the automotive industry struggles with a shortage of semiconductors ABC news The automaker’s assembly plant in Louisville produces the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs, and employs about 3,900 workers per hour, according to CNBC. Ford said it will take a planned week-long shutdown from the factory, which was scheduled for the end of the year, and move it this week.
Ford joins Nissan, which says it will cut production at one of its plants in Japan, which makes the Note, an unsold car in the United States. A Nissan spokesman said the shortage of semiconductors did not affect the company’s production in the United States.
Volkswagen, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota also reported problems with semiconductor supply chains, with Fiat Chrysler temporarily closing plants in Canada and Mexico. Volkswagen said in December that it changed part of its vehicle production at plants in North America, Europe and China.
Vehicles are using more semiconductors than in the past for features like infotainment, driver assistance and Bluetooth connections, and in recent months, demand for vehicles has exceeded supply. Semiconductor factories had to close during the coronavirus pandemic, which also contributed to the delay in the production of personal computers and affected the production of Apple’s iPhone 12.