Steel Markets
Chrysler Follows GM, Ford and Extends Chip-Related Downtime at Two Plants
Written by Michael Cowden
October 1, 2021
Stellantis – the Dutch parent company of Chrysler – has extended downtime at two of its North American plants because of the ongoing global microchip shortage, a company spokeswoman said.
The automaker’s assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill., will be down the week of Oct. 4 as will its assembly plant north of the U.S. border in Brampton, Ontario.
Belvidere makes the Jeep Cherokee SUV. Brampton makes the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger cars.
Belvidere has been down since Aug. 30, and Brampton last ran production in the week of Sept. 13, the spokeswoman said.
“All other assembly plants with the exception of Belvidere and Brampton are running next week,” she said.
The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker’s announcement meant that all “Big Three” Detroit-area automakers – the other two are Detroit-based General Motors and Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Co. – will have downtime at some of their North American plants next week.
GM and Ford had already confirmed additional outages to SMU.
Ward’s Intelligence estimates automakers in North America will produce about two million fewer vehicles than expected this year – 1.7 million due to the chip shortfall and the rest to other supply chain issues such as COVID shutdowns and shipping delays.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Markets
USW cheers Evraz NA agreement with Atlas Holdings
The United Steelworkers (USW) labor union celebrated recent news of the signed agreement between Atlas Holdings and Evraz NA in which the Connecticut-based private equity company said it plans to acquire North America’s Evraz facilities.
Steel buyer spirits tempered by soft spot market conditions
Steel sheet buyers report feeling bogged down by the ongoing stresses of stagnant demand, news fatigue, tariff negotiations or implementation timelines, and persistent macroeconomic uncertainty.
Hot-rolled coil buyers continue seeking certainty
Steel market participants contend that buyers will remain in “wait-and-see" mode until some market stability is restored.
Latin American steel advocates warn on cheap import flood
Subsidized Chinese steel imports and cheap steel products from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) entering Latin American (LATAM) are threatening the region's steel market.
CRU: Steel prices fall amid global demand weakness
The forceful headwinds bearing down on steel markets across the globe have created demand challenges and sent prices southward. The US, however, challenged the global trend.