GM Pausing Full-Size Truck Plant to 'Maintain Optimal Inventory Levels'

GM scheduled a two-week work stoppage at its Fort Wayne, Indiana truck assembly facility in an attempt to maintain optimal dealership inventory levels. According to a GM representative, production is up over the past month, while demand remains fairly consistent, leading to an increase in inventory. The Fort Wayne plant produces the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500. GM’s full-size truck plants in Michigan, Canada, and Mexico will continue with operations through the two-week stoppage in Indiana.

General Motors is preparing for a two-week shutdown at its Fort Wayne, Indiana truck manufacturing facility. The Fort Wayne plant that produces roughly 1300 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks each day will be shut down to “to maintain optimal inventory levels with our dealerships,” according to a statement shared by a GM spokesperson.

The shutdown is scheduled to begin Monday, March 27, and is reportedly in accordance with provisions of both the national and local UAW bargaining agreements.

GM confirmed that production is up over the past month while demand remains fairly consistent, leading to an increase in inventory. According to a report by Autoweek, the stoppage is in keeping with comments from GM CFO Paul Jacobson, who said the company wants between 50 to 60 days’ inventory through 2023.

Production at GM’s other full-size truck plants in Michigan, Canada, and Mexico are set to continue with operations through the two-week stoppage in Indiana. The Fort Wayne plant constantly reviews and adjusts production schedules to keep inventory levels at dealerships at an optimal level, according to a GM representative.

The scheduled shutdown comes at an interesting time for pickup production and automotive manufacturing in general. It stands in contrast to the production struggles that automakers faced in 2021, when supply-chain issues and specifically a microchip shortage caused GM, Ford, and many other automakers to greatly reduce production plans, throwing off the supply and demand curve on the opposite end of the spectrum. More recently in the pickup world, production of the electric Ford F-150 Lightning was halted in February, citing a potential battery issue. “During a standard Lightning pre-delivery quality inspection, one vehicle displayed a battery issue,” Ford said in a statement.

Associate News Editor

Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.