Ford F-Series Temporarily Halts Production Due to Plant Fire

Ford F-Series production is now halted, threatening its F-150 and Super Duty forecasts due to a fire at its Dearborn, Mich. plant.

The Dearborn plant's downtime is expected to last several weeks. A separate plant in Kansas City, its only other Ford F-Series production site in the country, had already temporarily idled production until May 14. Analysts estimate that this could cost the company as much as 15,000 trucks per week, or a cut of the truck line's approximately $40 billion in yearly revenue, separate from the rest of the vehicles Ford makes.

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As a result, temporary layoffs are scheduled until production is back for the Ford F-Series. This prompted the United Auto Workers association, its workers largest union body, to issue a letter to its workers.

The fire, which took place on May 2, has been investigated by local authorities and even triggered disruptions on a smaller scale for other vehicle manufacturers. General Motors Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Daimler AG and BMW AG all felt an impact on their production.

"The company has informed us that we have enough parts to build vehicles through Thursday," reads the letter, sent by Burkie Morris, UAW president and chairman at the Dearborn Truck Plant. "The company is meeting continuously to find a solution. Adjustments and changes are being made hour by hour as the company is engaged in getting the parts needed to maintain our normal production schedule."

The Ford F-Series remains the company's best selling lineup, with the majority comprising F-150s, selling over 73,000 units in April 2018.

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