Production continues at Lordstown

The Cobalt relies on a brake spindle produced by American Axle.

LORDSTOWN — Production will not halt at the car assembly plant at Lordstown GM “for the foreseeable future” because of a parts shortage caused by a strike against American Axle and Manufacturing plants.

However, Dan Flores, GM spokesman in Detroit, said he could not speculate about “next week or a month from now.”

Flores said the only GM car assembly plant closed because of a parts shortage related to the strike at American Axle is the Detroit-Hamtramck facility, at which are built the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS sedans. About 2,000 hourly and salaried workers are affected by the temporary shutdown, he said.

The Lordstown assembly plant builds Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 cars. The Cobalt relies on a brake spindle produced by American Axle, officials said.

About 3,600 members of United Autoworkers of America went on strike Feb. 28 at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York.

Flores said GM wants the dispute settled as quickly as possible because a lot of facilities are affected with a combination of total or partial reduction in production, including a number that assemble trucks. He said it is encouraging that both sides are talking.

If a shutdown should occur, employees would be notified first.

Once production is halted at any facility, it takes some time to get the pipeline of parts, which come from many sources, flowing again, Flores said.