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Japan earthquakes suspend GM Lordstown production
By Kalea Hall
LORDSTOWN
The Japan earthquakes have suspended production for two weeks at the General Motors Lordstown Assembly Plant.
The Vindicator confirmed the suspension, which will take place during the weeks of April 25 and May 2.
The suspension is due to supply-chain issues related to the recent Japan earthquakes, officials say.
Three other GM North America plants: Fairfax, Kan.; Spring Hill, Tenn.; and Oshawa, Ontario, also will have suspended production because of the earthquakes.
“We are not exactly sure where we stand right now,” said Glenn Johnson, president of UAW Local 1112, which represents 3,000 assembly-plant workers. “The official statement is in the event that if anything should happen [workers] will be notified by their supervisor.”
Johnson learned of some issues surrounding various parts that came out of Japan on Thursday afternoon.
“There are things that are out of control, and this is one of those,” said Robert Morales, president of the United Auto Workers Local 1714, which represents about 1,400 fabrication-plant workers at GM Lordstown.
GM is not the only automaker affected by the Japan earthquakes that killed at least 42 people. Toyota and Honda both halted production at plants across Japan, the Associated Press reported.
This isn’t the first time automakers have seen the impact of natural disasters on production.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami disasters “brought significant supply-chain disruptions,” said Rebecca Lindland, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.
The disruption even led Ford to run out of black paint in 2011, Lindland said.
“I would hope there were some lessons learned in 2011,” she said.
The vehicle production is so heavily monitored the manufacturers cannot go to the nearest store to find a replacement part to the one that’s been affected.
“A lot of these parts have been designed and created to a certain standard, and you have to meet that standard,” Lindland explained.
The impact of the temporary production suspension at Lordstown depends on its duration, officials said. About 4,500 workers at the plant build the next-generation Chevrolet Cruze – a new version of the compact car that just started to hit dealerships.
“You never want to have a production delay or this kind of disruption on a launch,” Lindland said. “At the same time, there’s nothing you can do about it.”