Ford to Temporarily Idle Nine Plants
By Ward’s Staff WardsAuto.com, Nov 13, 2008 10:45 AM

Ford Motor Co. in the fourth quarter will idle nine vehicle plants in order to align output with demand, spokeswoman Angie Kozleski says.

The temporary shutdowns are the result of production cuts announced last week, when the auto maker released its third-quarter financial results.

Fourth-quarter builds will be slashed by 211,000 units, or 35% from year-ago levels, Ford says.

The shutdowns vary in lengths among the nine plants, with Louisville, KY, and St. Paul, MN, facilities scheduled to be idled for all of December, the longest of the closures.

Ford’s Oakville and St. Thomas, ON, Canada, plants, along with its Kansas City, MO, facility, will be closed a total of three weeks in November and December, while the Avon Lake, OH, plant will stand down for two weeks.

Facilities in Flat Rock and Wayne, MI, as well as Hermosillo, Mexico, will be idled for one week.

“In terms of down weeks, some may have been scheduled and some are new,” says Kozleski. “But we’ll continue to adjust production capacity to demand.”