Ford Motor has said it will suspend production Wednesday evening of its profit-driving F-150 pickup at it big plant in Dearborn, Mich., bringing to a temporary halt all production of the nation’s bestselling vehicle.
The move was the result of a fire at a parts supplier in small-town Michigan that shook the North American auto industry. Production at General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Mercedes also is disrupted.
“The impact on everybody else is going to pale compared to Ford,” said Abhay “Abe” Vadhavkar, director of manufacturing, engineering and technology at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. “For Ford, this is potentially enormous. It’s just tragic.”
Sources in the auto industry say privately they expect the factories will be closed for “several weeks.” They’re concerned about causing alarm among investors and workers. This week, the truck side of the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri shut down and about 3,400 workers went home because of the parts shortage caused by a May 2 fire at Meridian Magnesium Products in Eaton Rapids, Mich., said Kelli Felker, Ford spokeswoman.
