American car manufacturer Ford will reduce production in North America next week due to a shortage of semiconductors, the press reported on Saturday.
Ford plans to slow down or temporarily close eight of its factories in the United States, Mexico and Canada, according to several US media. Production will be suspended at plants in Michigan, Chicago and Cuautitlan (Mexico).
Meanwhile, the pace of production will slow in Kansas City, Dearborn, Kentucky and Louisville. In Oakville, Canada, overtime will be eliminated.
Contacted by AFP this Saturday, the company did not immediately respond.
The chip shortageessential components for the manufacture of automobiles and manufactured mainly in Asia, has slowed the production of automobiles considerably since the start of the pandemic, raising prices and explaining an important part of the high inflation that the United States is experiencing.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he wants to bring semiconductor production back to the United States, following his predecessor, Donald Trump, in his stance on the trade war with China.
The House of Representatives approved a bill on Friday to locate in U.S the manufacture of these electronic chips, which are also essential for the production of smartphones and medical equipment.
The bill, the “America COMPETES Act,” provides $52 billion to revitalize the US semiconductor industry.
The giant Intel announced a week ago the launch by the end of the year of the construction of two factories near the capital of the state of Ohio, Columbus, with the aim of starting chip production as early as 2025.
The investment, of 20,000 million dollars, was described as “historic” by Biden.
Ford returned to profit in 2021 and reported net income of $17.9 billion on Thursday, but remains concerned about supply chain issues, it said.
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx