Stellantis‘ Warren Truck plant in Michigan has suspended production for at least three weeks due to the consequences of a fire that struck a major aluminum supplier in Oswego, New York last month. The facility, specialized in assembling Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, has already been idle for several days and will not resume activities before the end of October.
Stellantis Warren plant shut down 3 weeks after supplier fire disrupts aluminum supply
This was confirmed by Eric Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 140, which represents plant workers. “Production is stopped and we expect the closure to continue at least until the end of the month,” he stated.
The problem stems from the September 16 fire at the Novelis Inc. facility, which compromised the aluminum supply destined for numerous automakers, including Stellantis. The lack of material made it impossible to maintain production rates at the Warren Truck site, highlighting the fragility of global supply chains, particularly for strategic materials like aluminum, fundamental in the production of large SUVs and pickups.
In an official statement, Ann Marie Fortunate, Stellantis spokesperson, explained that “due to component shortages, the Warren plant will remain closed from the week of October 13 for three weeks.” The restart of the lines is scheduled for the week of November 3, barring further complications.
The Novelis Oswego plant supplies about 40% of the hot-rolled aluminum used by the North American automotive sector, serving a dozen brands including Ford, identified by analysts as the most exposed to the crisis. According to spokesperson Julie Groover, the fire hit the hot rolling department, but the company expects to restore it by early next year. Meanwhile, Novelis is reorganizing production at its international facilities to ensure supply continuity.
“The restoration process is proceeding well,” Groover added, specifying that a new roof and new pipes have already been installed in the damaged section. The causes of the fire remain under investigation.
For Stellantis this is not the first interruption caused by similar incidents. Last August a fire at supplier CSP’s plant in Carey, Ohio, had already stopped production of Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator at the Toledo Assembly Complex. Since then, the plant has been operating in a state of emergency, with employees working to make up lost time to avoid further delivery delays.
