Steel Markets

Chrysler to Idle Illinois Plant Until Month's End on Chip Shortage

Written by Michael Cowden

October 8, 2021

Stellantis – the Dutch parent company of Chrysler – has extended downtime at one of its U.S. plants because of the ongoing global microchip shortage, a company spokeswoman said.

The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker’s assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill., will be down through the end of October, she said.

auto“Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry,” the spokeswoman said in an email to Steel Market Update on Friday, Oct. 8.

The Belvidere plant had previously been scheduled to resume production next week. Belvidere makes the Jeep Cherokee SUV.

There was little in the way of additional downtime to report as of Friday afternoon.

Case in point: Detroit-based General Motors – the largest U.S. automaker and Chrysler’s crosstown rival – has no updates this week besides what has been announced previously, a company spokesman said.

And Japanese automaker Toyota, which has significant operations in North America, said it would have no updates until Monday, Oct. 18.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com

Michael Cowden

Michael Cowden is editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He specializes in flat-rolled steel but has also reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube, and aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

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