Autoblog

Ford and Chrysler reducing summer plant shutdowns

John Neff — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Ford, GM

Most domestic automaker assembly plants traditionally take a couple of weeks off during the summer. The shutdowns give each plant time for much needed repairs and maintenance, and in some cases, help better align production with demand. Not this year, though, as demand for many models is outstripping what Ford, Chrysler and General Motors plants can produce.

Ford has announced that it will shorten its annual summer shutdown for most North American plants from two weeks to one. The shorter shutdown will increase the carmaker's annual North American production by 40,000 units on top of the 200,000 extra units that it was already planning to produce this year versus last. Automotive News reports that Ford produced 2.8 million vehicles on this continent in 2012, and that output this year has already increased 13 percent through April.

Chrysler, meanwhile, is also operating at full tilt and plans to run some plants through the summer with no shutdown at all. Those not getting a break include Jefferson North where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango are assembled, Toledo North that will assemble the new Cherokee, and Conner Avenue, home of SRT Viper production. Other assembly plants will be down for a single week, while all of Chrysler's engine and transmission plants except one in Indiana will continue operating with no shutdown this summer.

Lastly, GM is keeping its cards closer to its chest. The automaker declined to comment to Automotive News about its summer production plans, instead saying that the company "does things a bit differently" now compared to the past, tying plant shutdowns to model life cycles and market demand rather than traditional annual timetables.

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Japenese automakers will work on weekends to protect power grid

Chris Shunk — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing

Japan is still struggling to repair itself in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the country's auto industry is looking to help out wherever it can. Automotive News reports that automakers and suppliers will work weekends and take off Thursdays and Fridays in an effort to ease pressure on the nation's power grid. The March 11 earthquake wiped out eight percent of the country's overall electricity capacity, which means that a lot of folks in Japan will need to cut back on consumption during peak summer months.

The auto industry is looking to reduce its electricity use by 15 percent over the summer. The plants will adhere to the new schedule from July through September.

A big part of Japan's energy woes has to do with the closure of the heavily damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, but the facility isn't the only one to close. Chubu Electric Power Co. shut down its nuclear plant to bolster its foundation in preparation for later earthquakes. A government study shows that a magnitude eight earthquake has an 87-percent chance of hitting the region in the next 30 years.

Japenese automakers will work on weekends to protect power grid originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 May 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM nixing summer shutdown, hiring thousands of temps to meet demand

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:26:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM

The Detroit auto industry's annual summer shutdown is a tradition that goes back many decades, but this year, General Motors is taking a pass. It comes from a time when the new model year started in September for every car and they all debuted simultaneously, usually in dealer showrooms. The shutdown was the two week period in the summer during which all the plants installed updated tooling for the new models.

In more recent times, the practice has persisted as a time to do maintenance and other work that might interfere with production - even if it hasn't coincided with the launch of a new model. This year, however, GM's inventories on many models are running so low that nine of the automaker's 11 assembly plants will keep producing vehicles during the designated shutdown period. Among the plants that will stay open are the Detroit-Hamtramck plant that builds the Cadillac DTS, the Delta Township plant builds the Lambda crossovers and the Chevrolet Corvette plant in Bowling Green, KY. Full press release after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM nixing summer shutdown, hiring thousands of temps to meet demand

GM nixing summer shutdown, hiring thousands of temps to meet demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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