Ford suspends production at Hermosillo plant in Mexico

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Ford suspended production at the Hermosillo plant in Mexico Friday, due to a shortage of material. The plant was making the popular Bronco Sport SUV. | Ford Motor Company

Ford suspended production at the Hermosillo plant in Mexico Friday, as a shortage of material led to issues in the supply chain. The shortages impacted the automaker’s ability to continue production, according to a recent report by Reuters.

The plant suspending production was making the Bronco Sport SUV and Maverick compact pickup, though Reuters said, “It did not specify which materials were in short supply.”

This is not the first Ford plant to suspend production. Earlier this month, the company temporarily halted production at its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant and at parts of its Kansas City, Missouri, plant, Reuters said.

Other automobile companies have found themselves in a similar boat, Reuters said. Not long before the suspension of the Ford plant, General Motors extended a halt at its plant in Ramos, Mexico, citing a “nagging semiconductor shortage that has hit global auto production.”

Volkswagen has also seen a suspension of operations several times this year, Reuters reported, and Nissan plans to stop production at two Mexico plants sometime this month.

“Other automakers have been struggling with a chips shortage as manufacturers shifted production toward parts needed for laptop computers, cell phones and video games during the pandemic,” Reuters said.

Ford’s Hermosillo plant was shut down for two days earlier this week, according to Reuters. For Friday, workers are slated to receive 75 percent of their normal compensation, according to the plant's workers union.