All-new F-150 Limited. Too bad about the missing control modules.
The global semiconductor supply collapse has its teeth into Ford Motor, which is now building F-150 trucks and Edge SUVs in North America without some parts. These include electronic modules that contain scarce semiconductors.
Ford will build and hold them for a number of weeks, then ship them to dealers once the modules are available and quality checks are complete.
Ford canceled the night shift last Friday and both shifts Friday at Louisville Assembly Plant due to a semiconductor-related part shortage. Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair production is expected to resume Monday on short shifts, with full production scheduled to resume Tuesday.
Ford is also taking further down days at our Cologne plant, suspending Fiesta production March 1-16 as well as March 22 The costs tied to these actions are covered in the financial updates Ford previously provided.
Ford said that if the semiconductor shortage scenario is extended through the first half of 2021, the shortage could adversely impact Ford’s adjusted EBIT by between $1.0 billion and $2.5 billion, net of cost recoveries and some production make-up in the second half of the year.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Following a meeting with the CEOs and senior executives on the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) board of directors, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo released the following statement:
“I had a productive meeting with members of the Semiconductor Industry Association board of directors on the importance of American semiconductor innovation and manufacturing. Semiconductors are America’s fourth largest export, and critical to our economic competitiveness and national security. I believe we need to make strong investments in domestic manufacturing, research, and workforce, and help strengthen America’s global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation. This is the beginning of what I believe will be an ongoing dialogue between the Department of Commerce and industry leaders as we find innovative ways to invest in domestic manufacturing.
“The Biden-Harris Administration views semiconductors as a critical supply chain that we must strengthen domestically. As the President said, the U.S. is the birthplace of this technology, but over the years we have under-invested in production and hurt our innovative edge, while other countries have learned from our example and increased their investments in the industry. As Secretary of Commerce, combatting the semiconductor shortage and investing in American manufacturing of semiconductor technology is going to be a priority of mine and I look forward to working alongside leaders like the Semiconductor Industry Association.”