GM says it will avoid summer downtime

Detroit-based General Motors Corp. (GM) says its assembly plants in the United States “that build GM’s most capacity-constrained products will not take any dedicated vacation downtime this summer.”

GM cited the policy as among several it is taking to steps it is taking to increase deliveries to dealers and customers in the U.S. and Canada “to meet strong consumer demand for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles.”

The supply of prompt ferrous scrap grades (and some nonferrous grades also) have been affected throughout 2021 by a lack of semiconductors and other components that have prevented assembly lines from operating at full capacity.

GM announced in May that it will resume full-size pickup production at the Oshawa Assembly plant in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2021. “The new accelerated timeline and incremental volume are expected to make an impact in 2022, as production ramps up,” says the vehicle maker.

“The global semiconductor shortage remains complex and very fluid, but the speed, agility and commitment of our team, including our dealers, has helped us find creative ways to satisfy customers,” says Phil Kienle, GM vice president of North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations. “Customer demand continues to be very strong, and GM’s engineering, supply chain and manufacturing teams have done a remarkable job maximizing production of high-demand and capacity-constrained vehicles.”

Nonetheless, the company says, “Production at certain manufacturing facilities in North America, Asia and South America will continue to be impacted by the global semiconductor shortage through June and July.”