Detroit auto factories have abandoned their traditional two-week summer vacation, speed up production to meet the growing demand of buyers of new cars and trucks.
Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it will close its 21 plants in North America this summer only one week. This includes, Chicago factory, making the Ford Explorer SUV and Mexico factories, making the Fusion sedan.
General Motors will not idle factories, in just four years the 10 North American assembly plants, while Chrysler plans two weeks of rest. General Motors and Chrysler have launched important new models.
Three Detroit carmakers traditional plant closings July 4 about two weeks to do the maintenance and replacement of new models of machines. But they did not have that luxury this year. U.S. demand for new cars and trucks has been strong, up 7 percent, to April, resulting surge in demand for full-size pickup for the home construction rebounds. More than two dozen factories closed, during the recession, U.S. auto makers need to fully utilize the remaining capacity.
Earlier this week, General Motors North America President Mark Reuss said GM may suspend work to change some of the machinery, but will not have full suspension. The country's largest car manufacturer in the launch of 20 new models, including the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups in the middle. Chrysler Group has canceled three assembly plants, including two facilities in Detroit and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Viper and Toledo, Ohio, plant, making the new Jeep Cherokee downtime.
Ford said it will produce 40,000 cars remain open during the week. Overall, the company plans to produce 240,000 more vehicles this year than last year, in North America. It will soon be adding a second shift its Flat Rock, Michigan, plant, making the Fusion sedan and third transfer to Kansas City, Missouri's F-150 pickup, plant. It also increases the speed of the assembly line, so that plants may be able to make 60 cars per hour 65.
James Tetr ault, Ford vice president of North American manufacturing, said that a decade ago, Ford had to idle factories, because each only one car. If demand is weakening, vehicles, the company needs to cut. Now, it has a flexible plant, so that multiple vehicles on the same production line. If the Taurus sedan selling slowly, for example, Ford can quickly switch to make more Explorer SUV, in the same Chicago factory.
"This is a very easy to figure out how to make more than the closed factories," he said.
Chrysler said in a statement, the 16's engine, transmission and metal stamping factory all but a summer pass. Only four factories - assembly plants in Brampton and Windsor in Canada, which makes large cars and minivans, a Detroit-area plants, making Ram pickup and midsize sedan - will close in July for two full weeks.
Reuss said GM has no formal two-week shutdown, as it appears from bankruptcy protection in 2009.
The changes do not affect wages, paid leave since discontinued.
Not all car manufacturers are changing their schedules. Honda and Nissan said on Tuesday that they have plans to close U.S. plants for about a week on July 4. Toyota also plans to close its factory in the United States this summer for a week.
 



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