Opel car factory in Eisenach closes before the end of the year due to a lack of microprocessors
Due to the ongoing interruptions in the supply of microchips for many months, the automaker Opel is forced to temporarily stop production at its plant in Eisenach, Germany. Work will be suspended from next week and, if supply chains recover, will resume in early 2022, a company spokesman said Thursday, September 30.
At the time of the shutdown, 1,300 workers at the Eisenach plant in Thuringia, where the compact crossover Grandland X is produced, will be transferred to a shorter working day.
The company explained this step as an exceptional situation in which the global automotive industry finds itself due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the shortage of semiconductors around the world.
Global Chip Shortage
The French concern Stellantis, which includes Opel, explained to AFP that decisions to close the factories will be made at the local level. Due to a shortage of microchips, the concern had to temporarily close several factories in France this summer.
The automotive industry has suffered more than other sectors of the economy from the global semiconductor shortage. Due to the crisis in the supply of chips, German automakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW had previously been forced to stop production for several days or weeks and transfer their employees to shorter working hours. Consulting firm Alix Partners warned last week that due to a shortage of microchips, 7.7 million vehicles will not be produced globally this year.