Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Ford Motor Co. has temporarily halted production of several vehicles following a fire that disabled a key aluminum supplier, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an internal memo sent to employees, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

Production of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant was paused this week, along with operations at the Dearborn, Michigan facility that manufactures the F-150 Lightning pickup. The shutdown is expected to last at least one week.

The disruption stems from a fire at Novelis’s aluminum plant in upstate New York, which supplies approximately 40% of the automotive industry’s aluminum sheet. The plant is not expected to resume normal operations until early next year.

This supply chain interruption highlights the vulnerability of the automotive sector to single-source dependencies for critical materials. Industry analysts warn that extended downtime could ripple through production schedules, potentially impacting vehicle availability and pricing throughout 2025. In response, Ford and other automakers are reportedly exploring ways to diversify their supply chains to reduce risks from such disruptions in the future.