Parts shortage halts Mercedes-Benz SUV production in Alabama
The parts shortage that halted production at Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler factories has now forced Mercedes-Benz to stop building SUVs at its plant in the US state of Alabama, the automaker said Friday.
The Mercedes-Benz US International Inc. plant in Alabama exhausted its supply of cockpit cross members and halted SUV production on Thursday, spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald said in an e-mail.
"We currently do not have parts to resume full production of SUVS next week, but we are working with our supply base to get back to normal production levels," said Jerald, adding that the plant will continue to build passenger cars.
The SUVs, such as the GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS, are among the most popular models Mercedes-Benz sells in the United States and are also exported to customers in Europe, China and the Middle East.
As with Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler, the cause of the Mercedes-Benz production halt was a parts shortage caused by a fire last week at Meridian Magnesium Products of America, a key supplier located in Michigan.
© 2018 AFP
