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Ford Truck Supply Hit By Persistent Plant Fires
3 Feb
Summary
- Aluminum supplier's plant still not fully operational after four months.
- Ford faces up to $2 billion in losses and reduced truck output.
- A second fire further delayed the supplier's production restart.
More than four months after a significant fire, aluminum production at Ford's supplier Novelis has not fully resumed, impacting Ford's ability to manufacture its profitable pickup trucks. The September incident at the Novelis facility led Ford to reduce its 2025 profit outlook and estimate a loss of up to 100,000 F-Series truck units, projecting costs as high as $2 billion.
Novelis initially aimed to restore full production by the end of December, but an additional fire in late November derailed this timeline. This prolonged disruption, particularly to the facility's hot mill, creates uncertainty regarding its impact on Ford's financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
Ford is reportedly sourcing aluminum from other Novelis plants to mitigate the impact. The F-Series line is Ford's best-selling and most profitable, with the automaker planning to boost production by over 50,000 vehicles annually at Michigan and Kentucky plants starting in 2026 to recover lost output. The company previously halted production of the F-150 Lightning electric truck, also reliant on Novelis aluminum, as part of a significant EV program write-down.
