Stellantis will its idle Chrysler minivan production at its Windsor, Ont., plant for four weeks due to a shortage of microchips, according to the union representing workers there.
Unifor Local 444 said in a Facebook post the shutdown begins March 29, making it the latest factory to be affected by the shortage.
Stellantis representatives weren’t immediately available for comment.
A global shortage of microchips has been crippling the auto industry.
General Motors Canada confirmed on Wednesday its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ont., will remain idled until at least mid-April. The Chevrolet Equinox is assembled there.
Ford’s Oakville, Ont., plant is partially assembling Ford Edge vehicles and storing them on lots until the required microchips arrive to finish them.
The Windsor Star reported Friday that Ford’s Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ont., will be down April 16.
But Unifor Local 200 president John D’Agnolo told the paper the microchip shortage will likely lead to more shutdowns in the future. The plant makes engines for the F-Series pickup, Mustang and E-Series commercial vans, and Ford on Friday idled production of the F-150 for three days at a plant in Michigan.
Meanwhile, Honda Canada would only say that its Alliston, Ont., factory, which builds the Civic, has been affected.
“In addition to the production suspension during the week of March 22, in which most of our mass-production auto plants in North America are impacted, some of the plants will also temporarily suspend production during the week of March 29,” Honda spokesman John Bordignon said in an email. “Since this is a fluid situation that requires flexibility; the details, timing and length of production adjustments could change.
The global chip shortage hit as auto plants ramped production back up after shuttering for two months during the COVID pandemic last year, creating a surging demand for makers of semiconductors who also must fill orders for consumer electronics. That has left carmakers competing for chips.
Semiconductors are used extensively in light vehicles: to monitor engine performance, manage steering or automatic windows and in sensors used in parking and entertainment systems.
Reuters contributed to this report.
