Winter weather like this has severely impacted the production schedules of automakers around the world.
Stories of how the weather is impacting just about everyone and everything in the U.S., including the auto industry, are dominating the headlines. However, when it comes to the automakers, it is not just the U.S. that’s suffering, the problems are spread across the globe.
The latest to suffer at the hands of Mother Nature is Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp. The three Japanese makers suspended production after snowstorms disrupted parts shipments from suppliers.
Toyota halted production at four plants, Suzuki saw three plants close while Honda just one. It was second time this year that a major storm has caused the makers to shut down, which is unusual for the island nation.
The unusual storms disrupted plane and train services in Japan this month, and 8 inches of snow fell in Tokyo on Feb. 14 and 15. While 8 inches of snow is already well beyond the norm, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency website, there were accumulations 10 times higher in other parts Japan. During the weekend prior, nearly 10 inches of snow covered Tokyo: the most in 45 years, according to Bloomberg News.
The U.S. has dealt winter weather problems all over the country. BMW and Volkwagen’s U.S. assembly facility recently had to cancel shifts. At BMW’s Spartanburg, S.C., plant last Wednesday and Thursday, the maker shut it down due to 4 inches of snow that fell overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and another 8 inches more expected to follow in Thursday.
Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant canceled the night shift on Feb. 12, according to Reuters, but reopened Feb. 13 two-hour delays for each shift. Kia Motors’ plant in West Point, Ga., also canceled shifts Feb. 12.
Extreme weather conditions have made it difficult for Ford to get auto parts delivered to plants on time. Ford, Toyota, Honda and General Motors all had to halt production at times during the last two months.
“We’ve lost production at a number of facilities” because of weather-related parts shortages this winter, said Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of The Americas, told reporters in Chicago last week. He added that many times shifts were delayed or told to go home early due to complications from the weather.
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Ford, the No. 2 U.S. automaker, has enough vehicles on dealer lots to offset the drop in production, Hinrichs said.
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“In my 20 years in the industry, I’ve never seen (so many) weeks of weather like this,” he said, adding, “We’re on track for all of our launches,” Ford planning to introduce more than a dozen new models in the U.S. alone this calendar year.
Europe hasn’t been immune to weather-related issues either. Storms, in particular in the U.K., have caused delays in parts shipments, which have thrown off production schedules.
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Much of the U.K. has been besieged by torrential rains causing massive flooding and tens of thousands are without power, including many manufacturers.