Ford is still working around the clock on finding new ways to deal with the super-constrained chip inventory, but in the meantime, the company has no other option than to turn to the same painful methods to reduce the production disruptions.
In other words, because it doesn’t have enough chips to install on its cars, Ford is left with no choice but to temporarily stop production at some of its plants.
This time, the facility that’s affected is the one building the Mustang. The Flat Rock plant, which was already shut down in May last year because of the global chip shortage, is going offline next week as well. And the reason is exactly the same as in 2021, as Ford acknowledges the struggle to procure more chips continues these days.
The company claims all its North American plants are affected by the lack of semiconductors, but on the other hand, only the Flat Rock Assembly Plant will suspend operations next week.
The company says its teams are currently working on finding more ways to reduce the impact on manufacturing operations, explaining that its priority right now is to build high-demand vehicles without impacting the quality.
In other words, Ford is prioritizing its best-selling models, trying to find the necessary chips to power all systems that come on these vehicles.
It’s not a secret that some automakers have dropped certain non-safety systems from their vehicles in an attempt to reduce the number of chips used on each model. General Motors, for instance, removed the heated seats from certain vehicles, while BMW installed screens without touch input for the very same reason. Ford too removed rear temperature controls from the Explorer SUV, but the company claims dealerships will be able to retrofit this equipment at a later time when the chip shortage is resolved.
Of course, nobody knows for sure when this is expected to happen. While many industry analysts expect the semiconductor crisis to come to an end in the second half of the year, the war in Ukraine, as well as the lack of certain materials, is now making this highly anticipated recovery less and less likely.
This time, the facility that’s affected is the one building the Mustang. The Flat Rock plant, which was already shut down in May last year because of the global chip shortage, is going offline next week as well. And the reason is exactly the same as in 2021, as Ford acknowledges the struggle to procure more chips continues these days.
The company claims all its North American plants are affected by the lack of semiconductors, but on the other hand, only the Flat Rock Assembly Plant will suspend operations next week.
The company says its teams are currently working on finding more ways to reduce the impact on manufacturing operations, explaining that its priority right now is to build high-demand vehicles without impacting the quality.
In other words, Ford is prioritizing its best-selling models, trying to find the necessary chips to power all systems that come on these vehicles.
It’s not a secret that some automakers have dropped certain non-safety systems from their vehicles in an attempt to reduce the number of chips used on each model. General Motors, for instance, removed the heated seats from certain vehicles, while BMW installed screens without touch input for the very same reason. Ford too removed rear temperature controls from the Explorer SUV, but the company claims dealerships will be able to retrofit this equipment at a later time when the chip shortage is resolved.
Of course, nobody knows for sure when this is expected to happen. While many industry analysts expect the semiconductor crisis to come to an end in the second half of the year, the war in Ukraine, as well as the lack of certain materials, is now making this highly anticipated recovery less and less likely.