Stellantis hiring in Metro Detroit, while the Jeep maker and Ford idle plants needing chips

Stellantis NV is hiring blue-collar workers in Metro Detroit, while the Jeep and Ram maker as well as Ford Motor Co. are idling some plants in need of microchips that are in short supply around the world.

Stellantis on Wednesday promoted the "immediate" job openings on social media. The starting supplemental production operators begin at $15.78 per hour for those 18 years of age or older. The openings, spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said, are to fill the pipeline for positions as they become available in plants in Detroit, Sterling Heights and Warren that make Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs.

Job seekers can apply at careers.fcagroup.com.

General Motors Co.'s career website also lists some skilled trades and production job openings in Belleville, Brownstown Township, Pontiac, Warren and elsewhere in Michigan. Ford says it is accepting applications.

Stellantis and Ford on Wednesday also announced another round of shutdowns related to the global shortage of semiconductors that are used in vehicles for automated driving features, heated seats, infotainment and more. Both companies have said they expect the second quarter to be the most affected by the chip scarcity.

For Stellantis, the Jeep Cherokee crossover plant in Belvidere, Illinois, will be down through Memorial Day with the plant running a partial shift the week of May 31. The company said last week it would cut the second shift — almost 1,700 jobs — from there by July 26.

The Chrysler minivan plant in Windsor, Ontario, also will idle next week and operate a partial shift the following week. The Jeep Compass plant in Toluca, Mexico, will be down both weeks.

Production of the Ram 1500 Classic in Warren also is down through the end of May, and Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit is operating with reduced crews.

"Stellantis continues to work closely with our suppliers to mitigate the manufacturing impacts caused by the various supply chain issues facing our industry," spokeswoman Kaileen Connelly said in a statement.

Hundreds of Ford trucks fill a parking lot off I-96 in Detroit, April 25, 2021. A global semiconductor shortage has forced car manufacturers to stockpile unfinished vehicles.

At Ford, the latest production changes are:

  • Chicago Assembly Plant — which builds the Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator —  will be down the week of May 31 and will operate on a reduced schedule the week of June 7.
  • Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, which builds Mustangs, will be down the weeks of May 31 and June 7.
  • The truck lines at Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant will be down the weeks of May 31 and June 7 and will operate on a reduced schedule the week of June 14. Both plants build the F-150 pickup truck, Ford's cash cow.
  • Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico, which builds the Bronco Sport, will be down the weeks of June 21 and June 28.
  • Louisville Assembly Plant, which builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, will be down starting the week of May 31, through the week of June 28.
  • Oakville Assembly Complex in Canada, which makes the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus, will be down the week of May 31 through the week of June 21.
  • Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake will make only Super Duty Chassis cabs and Medium Duty trucks the weeks of May 31, June 7 and June 14.

"Our teams continue making the most of our available semiconductor allocation and will continue finding unique solutions to provide as many high-quality vehicles as possible to our dealers and customers," spokesperson Kelli Felker said in a statement.

The plants hit by the latest cutbacks employ more than 32,000 salaried and hourly workers, according to information on Ford's website.

Earlier this week, Ford confirmed it was bringing the three-shift operation at Dearborn Truck down to one shift next week. And, among other production impacts confirmed recently, the automaker said its Kansas City plant in Missouri would be down this week and next.

Ford has said the shortage of the vital components — which are needed for everything from infotainment systems to power steering — could result in 1.1 million units of lost vehicle production and a $2.5 billion hit to the automaker's adjusted earnings for the year.

The crisis is affecting the entire industry to varying degrees. Last week, consulting firm AlixPartners revised its forecast on the impact of the shortage, saying it now expects the issue could cost global automakers $110 billion in revenue this year — up from the $61 billion the firm estimated in January. And the firm now expects a production loss of 3.9 million vehicles globally, representing a little more than 4.5% of the vehicles automakers planned to build this year. 

General Motors Co. had no new production cutbacks to share Wednesday, but said in late April that, among other impacts, its Fairfax Assembly in Kansas, where the Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu are built, would remain down through at least the week of July 5. The plant has been down since early February.

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski

bnoble@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @BreanaCNoble