Strike ends at Indian supplier to GM, Ford

[rickaren]

Strike ends at Indian supplier to GM, Ford

Posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:50 PM EST. (Employee News)

Workers at an India auto-parts maker have ended a six-week strike, which had hit transmission parts supplies to General Motors and Ford Motor Co. and caused the shutdown of at least two North American crossover vehicle plants, Reuters reported.

“We had a settlement last night,” Surendra Singh, senior vice president for human resources at Rico Auto Industries Ltd., said today, the news service reported. “Within a day or two, we’ll be able to achieve 100 percent production.”

More than 2,000 workers at the Rico plant, which makes transmission parts for vehicles and is located outside India’s capital, began the strike on Sept. 21 after the company suspended some of their colleagues citing indiscipline, Reuters said. Singh said the firm would make up for the lost production by increasing plant capacity utilization, the story said. (Reuters/Automotive News)

[rickaren]

Ford Taurus in one-week production halt

Fri Nov 6, 2009 3:31pm EST

* Parts shortage related to India labor dispute

* Ford working with India company and on contingency plans

DETROIT, Nov 6 - A labor dispute at an auto parts supplier in India has forced Ford Motor Co to shut production of its new Taurus full-size sedan one week due to a transmission component shortage, a spokesman said on Friday.

Ford has about a 40 days' supply of the Taurus and will idle production next week, spokesman Todd Nissen said. He declined to estimate the number of sedans the automaker would typically produce at its Chicago Assembly plant in one week.

The release of the 2010 Taurus is one of Ford's key launches this year. The Chicago plant has 1,300 workers and builds the Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans.

Nissen said Ford would continue to work with Rico Auto on improving the parts supply and on contingency plans.

The Chicago plant is the second Ford plant to face a temporary production shutdown due to parts shortages that stem from a six-week strike at Rico Auto Industries that ended earlier this week.

Ford idled its Oakville, Ontario, plant for one week in October due to parts shortages from the Rico strike. Ford builds its Ford Edge, Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT in Oakville.

LINK:
UPDATE 1-Ford Taurus in one-week production halt | Reuters