Fire disrupts aluminum supply for Ford, other automakers

By Breana Noble, Medianews Group

Ford Motor Co. mentioned it really works on minimizing manufacturing disruptions after a hearth had achieved a manufacturing facility in New York that delivers round 40% of the aluminum leaf within the automobile business.

Aluminum is the our bodies of the F-series vehicles from the Dearborn Automaker, the best-selling autos within the nation that stimulate the corporate’s revenue. A late night time fireplace on 16 September within the NOBELISS INC. OSWEGO FACTORY, primarily based in Atlanta, broken a constructing with the new mill from the corporate that provides the aluminum plates for automobile producers, making it unusable. A big a part of the manufacturing facility can be offline till the start of subsequent yr.

“Novelis is likely one of the numerous aluminum suppliers of Ford,” mentioned spokesman Ian Thibodeau in a press release. “For the reason that fireplace nearly three weeks in the past, Ford has labored intently with Novelis, and a full group has been devoted to tackling the state of affairs and exploring all doable alternate options to attenuate doable disruptions.”

Ford refused to supply additional particulars in regards to the affect of the fireplace, together with whether or not automobile manufacturing has been influenced. The Wall Avenue Journal reported for the primary time in regards to the disturbances of the fireplace brigade.

Roughly a dozen automobile producers use NOVELIS aluminum, together with Ford, Chylser Maker Stellantis NV, Toyota Motor Corp., Hyundai Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG, in accordance with a submission to the US Securities & Alternate Fee. Novelis is a subsidiary of India’s Hindalco Industries Ltd.

Medianews Group despatched a message to a novel consultant on Tuesday morning to ask for extra details about the corporate’s reply, however didn’t obtain a direct reply.

The aluminum producer and recycler have rolling factories in Europe, Brazil and South Korea. However imported aluminum in the USA is topic to a charge of fifty%. A brand new manufacturing facility in Alabama is anticipated to be opened subsequent yr.

The hearth is the most recent provide chain disaster for the automotive sector. This yr the charges imposed by the Trump authorities Authorities traces of steel, uncommon earths and different elements. The COVID-19 Pandemie in 2020 disrupted manufacturing and left a world semiconductor scarcity.

Initially printed: October 7, 2025 at 11:15 am Edt