The Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, represents a critical piece of Stellantis vehicle production, now, however, the plant is spending weeks of significant closures. The North and South facilities have both been closed, in fact, and this is generating concern for workers as well as Jeep brand enthusiasts who are not seeing progress and new models.
Stellantis Toledo, closures lingering
The Toledo-based Stelllantis plant is undergoing extended closures right now, specifically we are now talking about the third week in a row. Initially, the closure only included a one-week stop, but the extension is generating imbalance among workers throughout the community. Part of the reason for these concerns comes from the fact that Stellantis has not yet officially stated what the end date of these closures will be.
Reasons for the closures according to Bruce Baumhower
According to the president of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 12, Bruce Baumhower, each plant is being closed for different reasons. For instance, if we are talking about the North Assembly plant, then we know that Stellantis had to stop production due to a severe wiring shortage, in addition to various problems involving Jeep Wrangler models. Baumhower, however, believes that these kinds of issues are fairly easy to solve, so, the shutdowns should not extend much longer.
To confirm what the UAW Local 12 president stated was the Stellantis company itself. As a matter of fact, it was stated that due to a problem with an outside supplier, production at the North Assembly plant in Toledo had to be stopped. This is currently, being monitored closely, shift by shift, to try to resolve it as soon as possible. So Stellantis, is trying to make decisive changes to its production schedule to definitely improve operations and be able to support dealers in the U.S. market.
New models will have to wait for the disposal of inventories
As for the Toledo South plant, on the other side, we know that a very important transition is taking place inside it. For they are currently working on the conversion of the Jeep Gladiator, to add a 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model Again taking the floor was Baumhower, who was keen to point out that production of this car cannot begin until the 2024 models are sold, at least for the most part. Consequently, the situation is quite complicated, given that the transition to production of the hybrid model was scheduled for the very month of October that had just begun. A schedule that saw perfectly aligned with the arrival of the 2025 model.
Lowering prices and adding standard equipment
Precisely in reference to the Gladiator, the Stellantis Group pointed out that consumer experience improvement practices are underway to dispose of the inventories, including lowering prices and adding standard equipment for the new model. The South plant’s situation, however, would be considerably more complex than the North plant’s, according to Baumhower, since the vehicle transformation involves significant change throughout the facility.
Thus, at this time both plants will remain closed until Stellantis releases some news on the matter. Sure enough, the local community remains waiting for answers and updates so that normal work activities can resume. In the meantime, the automotive group will certainly continue to monitor the situation, implementing any changes when the need arises.