Ford issues restart dates for some US plants as soon as April 6 - Detroit Free Press

Jamie L. LaReau Detroit Free Press

Published 8:50 AM EDT Mar 26, 2020

Ford Motor Co. is aiming to restart production at select plants in North America as early as April 6, the automaker said Thursday.

Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced they would tentatively idle their North American factories last week to protect workers' health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Ford said it plans to bring its key plants back up and put more safety measures in place to protect returning workers.

"We will continue to assess public health conditions as well as supplier readiness and will adjust plans if necessary," Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of North America, said in a statement.

Across town, Ford's rival GM said its restart plans remain undetermined. An FCA spokeswoman declined to comment on its restart plans.

The UAW reacted to Ford's news by issuing a statement: "We are reviewing with great concern and caution today’s announcement. Our priority is the health and safety of our members, their families and the American public.”

Ford plans to resume production at Hermosillo Assembly Plant on April 6 on one shift, Galhotra said.

On April 14, Ford plans to start building vehicles at:

• Dearborn Truck Plant
• Kentucky Truck Plant
• Kansas City Assembly Plant’s Transit line
• Ohio Assembly Plant

Galhorta said Ford also intends to start production at these supporting plants on April 14.

• Dearborn Stamping Plant
• Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing Plant
• Integrated stamping plants within Kansas City and Kentucky Truck plants
• Sharonville Transmission Plant
• Portions of Van Dyke Transmission, Lima Engine and Rawsonville Components plants

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put in place an order Monday mandating most people stay at home through April 13. With that in mind and other considerations, GM is still evaluating the timeline to restart production.

More: Auto suppliers fear financial ruin as GM, Ford and FCA grind to a halt

More: Detroit automakers Ford, General Motors, FCA agree to close all US plants

"The situation is fluid and can change week to week," said Jim Cain, GM spokesman. "We don’t have firm return-to-work dates at this time."

Earlier this week, a UAW local's memo to workers at GM's Bowling Green assembly plant in Kentucky said the restart date there was April 14. GM builds the Chevrolet Corvette and the engines for Corvette there. 

Cain cautions that that date is not firm, saying, "In certain states, when you fill out paperwork for temporary unemployment, some states require you to put a restart date on the form" as procedure.

The restart dates are important to the auto supplier companies.

Many suppliers have shut down many of their plants and temporarily laid off workers or are running on paid-volunteer, small staffs, in reaction to their customers — the Detroit Three — shutting down the assembly lines.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.

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2020-03-26 13:01:44Z
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