Steel Markets
Chrysler Takes ~5 Weeks Downtime at Mexican Van Plant for Retooling
Written by Michael Cowden
January 11, 2022
Chrysler’s van assembly plant in Saltillo, Mexico, will take downtime through Thursday, Feb. 10, for retooling, a company spokeswoman said.
The Saltillo plant makes the Ram ProMaster van and has, like four other Chrysler plants in North America, been down since Monday, Jan. 3.
Assembly plants in Belvidere, Ill.; Brampton, Ontario; Windsor, Ontario; and Toluca, Mexico, are also down. The result: five of Chrysler’s 12 assembly plants in North America are not producing at present.
While the Saltillo plant is down for retooling, the other four plants are taking downtime to “to align production with global sales,” the spokeswoman said.
She declined to clarify when Steel Market Update asked whether that phrase might be a euphemism for weaker-than-forecast demand. But, she added, “The downtime is not related to supply chain issues.”
Chrysler, a subsidiary of European automaker Stellantis, is not the only major automaker producing fewer vehicles this month.
Toyota, as SMU reported last month, continues to expect that it will produce 40,000-50,000 fewer vehicles than initially expected in January because of supply chain challenges.
A rough rule of thumb is that each vehicle contains approximately one ton of steel.
By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Michael Cowden
Read more from Michael CowdenLatest in Steel Markets
US steel exports rise to 12-month high in August
The amount of steel exiting the country in August reached the highest monthly rate recorded since August 2023.
Worldsteel lowers short-term forecast for global steel demand
The World Steel Association (worldsteel) has made significant downward revisions to its Short Range Outlook for global steel demand.
US steel imports tick up in August, fall again in September
August steel imports totaled 2.38 million short tons (st) according to final data released this week by the US Commerce Departmen
Dodge Momentum drops on moderating data center growth
Slowing growth in data center planning caused the Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) to pull back in September. The decline followed five months of growth after the index hit a two-year low in March.
US construction spending drops again in August
Construction spending in the US declined for a third month in August but showed an increase year over year (y/y). The US Census Bureau estimated construction spending to be $2.131 trillion in August on a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). While this was 0.1% below July’s revised spending rate, it was 4.1% higher than spending […]