Production lines, assembly lines, and other production-related tasks have long been a hallmark of a manufacturing company’s operation, but the shutdown of a major factory in Mexico could have a major impact on what kind of work can be done, and how efficiently it can be completed, according to a new report.
The shutdown of the U.S. factory in Meraki, Mexico, would be the latest example of a disruption to the nation’s auto industry.
The U.N. Industrial Development Organization released a report on Thursday detailing how Mexican automakers and suppliers were coping with the shutdown.
The report noted that the factory, which is owned by Ford, has produced a wide range of cars for Ford and other auto companies.
The U.K.-based auto giant also owns the assembly line at the Meraki plant.
The Meraki factory is a major supplier to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Fiat Chrysler, and its employees work at the plant to make parts for Ford cars.
The assembly line is part of the assembly plant chain at the UAW.
Production of parts for other major U.M. carmakers has been suspended for the past several months, but that shutdown is set to be lifted after a year and a half.
A shutdown would put U.s. auto workers at a disadvantage, the report said.
The company’s U.W. factory has fewer than half the assembly-line workers of its rivals, and the Merai plant employs less than 1,000 workers, according the report.
The Meraki and Ford plants are also two of the largest factories in the U of M’s manufacturing industry.
The plant is also the largest U. S. assembly plant.
U.S.-based carmakers have been hit hardest by the shutdown, with Ford and Toyota losing nearly a third of their manufacturing capacity over the past six months.
A recent report by the Institute for Supply Management found that U. Michigan alone lost about $3 billion in factory output during the last two years.