Many companies have had to cut auto production due to the global shortage of computer chips, but CNBC is reporting that the shortage is finally hitting America’s most popular vehicle: the Ford F-150. According to the report, Ford is temporarily cutting the number of shifts at its truck production plants: its plant in Dearborn, Michigan is moving from three shifts a week to one, and its plant in Kansas City, Missouri , is going from three shifts to two.
CNBC quotes Ford spokesman Kelli Felker as saying that Ford expects factories to return to normal operation in a few weeks, and that the company is “working closely with suppliers to address possible linked production restrictions. to the global scarcity of semiconductors “.
This is not the first time that the shortage of microchips has hit the automotive industry, or even Ford. Volkswagen had to change car production in December due to the shortage, and Honda and GM also had to cut. Nissan and Toyota also had to slow down their truck production lines. For Ford’s part earlier this month, it had to close the factory that made the Ford Escapes and Lincoln Corsairs for a week because it didn’t get the computer parts it needed. Bloomberg has an overview of how most Japanese automakers are affected in one way or another.
While scarcity strikes the entire industry, the F-150 is big business in the United States, where the iconic F series is the best-selling vehicle in the country. They are also Ford’s most profitable vehicles, so producing less of them is unlikely to be a decision the automaker would make unless necessary.
We here in The Verge often ask the question “what is a computer?” but I suspect that most people would not answer “the F-150”. But modern cars have computer systems for almost every component today, from digital speedometers to vital vehicle functions, such as emissions control and emergency brake systems. If Ford, or other automakers, fail to obtain the computer chips they need, they will not be able to build functional modern cars.
Of course, the chip shortage is not just affecting the automotive industry – AMD, Nvidia, Microsoft and Sony were unable to meet demand with their launches last year, and Qualcomm’s CEO is warning that it’s not just the latest one, technology products that will be in short supply.