Sam Krahn 
Last week, U.S. auto production got back up and running after a three month shutdown due to Coronavirus. But just because plants were allowed to restart, doesn’t mean the auto industry is out of the woods yet. General Motors is being hit thanks to supplier issues. According to the Detroit Free Press, GM full-size truck production has halted because they don’t have enough wiring harnesses for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
This results in UAW workers at GM’s Flint and Fort Wayne plants remaining laid off after being told they will be coming back to work for good. The Free Press reports that over 2,000 workers are now out of a job at these factories, about a week after they went back to work in the first place.
The main issue stems from wiring harness supplier setbacks. These units, which are necessary to powering all of the electronics in the trucks, are made at plants along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Free Press estimates about 80 percent of wiring harnesses are made in Mexico. These areas have been hit hard by Coronavirus, and the factories are either down, or running at limited capacity. Without the wiring harnesses, GM can’t build a finished truck. GM hasn’t said when production will resume for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, as it really depends on when these supplier factories can get up and running.
This is yet another example of auto factories running into hiccups when restarting factories as Coronavirus restrictions ease around the world. Ford has already shut down two factories temporarily when workers tested positive for COVID-19, and now GM truck production is down indefinitely due to supplier issues. We wouldn’t be surprised to see these issues continue amongst automakers for the foreseeable future, as unfortunate as it is for both the workers and companies as a whole.
