Ford Cuts Production as Sales Bonanza Plateaus
While most commoners like us love to ignore warning signs, it’s been long overdue for the outrageous demand for SUVs and pickup trucks to slow down to more “normal” levels.
In a report by, Reuters, Ford will be screeching production of the best-selling Ford F-150 pickup truck to a halt at its Kansas City assembly plant. Meanwhile, it will also idle three other assembly plants for the next several weeks or possibly months.
While the Kansas City assembly plant full-stoppage will only last one week, the other plants will react to market behavior, and idle according to Ford’s sales predictions and consumer purchases. That being said, regardless of how short or long these measures actually last, it’s inevitable for Ford plant employees to be affected.
According to the report, an estimated 13,000 hourly workers will potentially be laid off during the temporary factory shutdowns, and that’s not counting the nearly 14,000 workers at the other four plants that Ford will idle. The company also mentioned that 4,000 of the salaried managers and hourly workers laid off will take place in Mexico, and 9,000 in the United States. The models affected are the Ford F-150, Ford Escape, the Lincoln MKC, and Ford Fusion. The iconic Dearborn truck plant will remain operating at full capacity.
“During our second quarter financial call, we said we expected the overall retail industry to decline in the second half of the year from the same period last year. We also said to expect to see some production adjustments in the second half – this is one of them. We continue matching production to meet demand,” said Kelli Felker, Ford spokeswoman.
It goes without saying that it was a matter of time until things returned back to normal, and while the sales bonanza brought joy and cash flow to many, it would also be hurtful for the industry to flood dealerships and suppliers and unbalance the market. As always, we hope that all Ford employees are able to return to work as soon as possible.
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