Ford Motor Co.'s Sharonville transmission plant is in the second week of a temporary shutdown stemming from the worldwide shortage of semiconductors, or microchips.
The plant, which makes the transmission for the F-Series Super Duty Trucks, is expected to reopen Monday, barring further interruption in the parts supply, according to Tod Turner, president of UAW Local 863, which represents workers there.
The 182-acre Sharonville facility has about 1,880 employees, including about 1,680 full-time hourly employees.
The plant temporarily shut down production in March last year in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Seventy-five percent of microchips are manufactured in Asia, where severe weather earlier this year suspended microchip production at facilities across the continent at the same time demand for smart phones, computers and cars that use microchips hit all-time highs during the pandemic.
Ford said in March it expected the semiconductor shortage to cost between $1 billion and $2.5 billion.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company last month announced production cuts tied to the microchip shortage in Chicago, Flat Rock, Mich. and Kansas City.
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