Parking lots filled with backlog of unfinished Super Duties visible from space.

[mrsilv04]

The Drive reports on the thousands of Super Duty trucks from the Louisville Ford plant, being stockpiled one hour away at Kentucky Speedway... unfinished.

Ford is one bad hail storm, or one tornado, away from a small disaster.

Stockpile of Unfinished Ford Super Duty Pickups Missing Chips Is Now Visible from Space

Notice how new trucks are getting harder and harder to find? Well, here's why.

www.thedrive.com

So, I guess a question. Once they get the chips, can they put up tents and finish these trucks on site... and then ship them out from the racetrack, or do they have to truck them all back to the plant in Louisville? The story would suggest that they'll be completed at the track, and then shipped from there.

I really hope these auto manufacturers learn a thing or two, from what all has happened in the past 15 months.

 

[Lubener]

Something to learn? Go back to the old days where a computer chip was not needed for an automobile to get you from point A to point B.

 

[Donald]

Sounds like a single source issue along with just-in-time-manufacturing. Its great and very efficient until there is a hiccup.

 

[AZjeff]

Something to learn? Go back to the old days where a computer chip was not needed for an automobile to get you from point A to point B.

Back to carbs? 3 speed trannys? No airbags? Not happening. The lesson learned is do we (consumers) demand lowest price that requires outsourcing meds, chips, and other critical components or do we pay more and control our destiny a little better?

GM is shipping trucks without AFM so they can keep producing them.

 

[atikovi]

Off topic but is there any online site that has real time or recent (days old) satellite images with similar resolution? Something like Google Maps.

 

[supton]

Traditionally dealers have done all sorts of repairs onsite, so I'd think that, if Ford wanted them off their lot, they could ship them out and let the dealers handle it.

I have heard of OEM's having lots where problem vehicles can be parked so that issues can be fixed (items not properly installed); I would hazard that it's cheaper to do the work at the plant rather than pay a dealer tech--but in this case, if they run out of space, they may need to offload to dealership lots, if they cannot stop the production line that is.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Sounds like a single source issue along with just-in-time-manufacturing. Its great and very efficient until there is a hiccup.

I worked at a place where they implemented just in time and second vendor reduction, but kept all the old managers and mindset. We called it JAT Just after time.

Rod

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I guess at this point, I'll probably never be able to afford another truck. This type of thing isn't helping truck prices- new or used!

The other day I saw a 2016 2500HD Chevy Diesel with 250K miles for sale for $48000. That's a 7 year old NY truck; rust was already setting in. I would have to imagine it's getting pretty close to some pretty expensive repairs at that mileage. Nuts!

But GM is also idling plants due to the chip shortage. It's just helping drive truck prices through the roof.

 

[doitmyself]

That's nuts! The local university here is leasing its parking lots to store GM vehicles awaiting final assembly:

 

[ctechbob]

I think I got in just under the buzzer. I've been keeping an eye out and the price of even the entry level Rangers has shot way up. Glad I got in when I did.

 

[eljefino]

Well they "could" send the trucks out unfinished-- they're missing a windshield wiper computer so I posit they could install temporary toggle switches to make them road legal, along with certificates to get updated after the fact.

After WWII there was still a steel (chrome?) shortage so cars were shipped with wooden bumpers. The "real" ones were installed gratis, later.

 

[simple_gifts]

Something to learn? Go back to the old days where a computer chip was not needed for an automobile to get you from point A to point B.

As pointed out, nothing to do with what is being manufactured but how it is manufactured.

If there is a shortage of tires, we should just go back to wooden wheels..... j/k

 

[vw7674]

these seem to lack chips to run the power windows/mirrors/seat memory? or something like that. clearly they move under their own power.........
be nice if Ford actually announced what integrated circuit was lacking. looks expensive even up close.

 

[JTK]

I guess at this point, I'll probably never be able to afford another truck. This type of thing isn't helping truck prices- new or used!

The other day I saw a 2016 2500HD Chevy Diesel with 250K miles for sale for $48000. That's a 7 year old NY truck; rust was already setting in. I would have to imagine it's getting pretty close to some pretty expensive repairs at that mileage. Nuts!

But GM is also idling plants due to the chip shortage. It's just helping drive truck prices through the roof.

For sure on that. I walked past a Cadillac/Buick/GMC dealer yesterday that had a used 2020 Ford Raptor pickup on their used lot. The asking price on the windshield was ~$80K.

On the flip side, something like my 2015 Nissan Versa has never been worth so much! LOL I could sell it for what I paid for it two years ago. Problem is, there's nothing out there I'm willing to pay the price for.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

I guess at this point, I'll probably never be able to afford another truck. This type of thing isn't helping truck prices- new or used!

The other day I saw a 2016 2500HD Chevy Diesel with 250K miles for sale for $48000. That's a 7 year old NY truck; rust was already setting in. I would have to imagine it's getting pretty close to some pretty expensive repairs at that mileage. Nuts!

But GM is also idling plants due to the chip shortage. It's just helping drive truck prices through the roof.

Does not compute

 

[RooflessVW]

Back to carbs? 3 speed trannys? No airbags? Not happening. The lesson learned is do we (consumers) demand lowest price that requires outsourcing meds, chips, and other critical components or do we pay more and control our destiny a little better?

GM is shipping trucks without AFM so they can keep producing them.

Or, OR! Hear me out.

The consumer is paying plenty. Money grubbers at the top have decided to take this risk in an effort to maximize profits. They can fix it and they may, or they may not. EITHER WAY, they will not bear the cost and will instead shift it onto consumers.

 

[SeaJay]

I guess at this point, I'll probably never be able to afford another truck. This type of thing isn't helping truck prices- new or used!

Trucks are turning into luxury priced vehicles that you have to be willing to dig deep to own. Some people are fine with vehicles costing 35k-40K (some even less), others want and can afford the finer things in life and do not mind spending $60K or more. Full sized pickups are now mostly in the latter price range.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Sounds like a single source issue along with just-in-time-manufacturing. Its great and very efficient until there is a hiccup.

JIT depends on supplier co-ordination. Many manufacturers believed demand would tank from the pandemic and adjusted their forecasts accordingly.
Their forecast models were wrong which screwed up the supply chain.
Additionally, modern vehicles have more complex chips along with the current, more availble chips.
Chip design is where bottlenecks and delays occur in the high tech world.

By the way, manufacturing practices do not recommend single source suppliers especially for critical components. That's a SPOF.
As you point out, that's a recipe for delivery delays. All the material and labor costs are spent and the product sits...
Bad for business, really bad for the bottom line.

 

[KGMtech]

The history of this chip supply problem goes back to March 2020 when people stopped buying cars & trucks. All OEM's cancelled orders for chips, and within 8 months or so wished they hadn't. However the main chip maker in Taiwan adjusted their production schedules to produce other types of chips, the OEM's all started banging on the chip maker's doors to get Car & Truck chip production going again, but this takes time. Sort of like loosing your space in the line...go to the back...way back.

The bigger issue is that too much chip production is concentrated in Asia, specifically Taiwan. Taiwan is an amazing country, they have made the investments to be the best in metal tools, threaded fasteners, chips. Their single biggest liability is their proximity to China, and the angry spectre of a war with that Beast. That Beast is flexing its muscles, it pays little heed to international criticism of human rights abuses, other intellectual property crimes.

If China makes trouble in that region, not just chips will be in short or scarce supply.

North America must get back to production of high tech components instead of outsourcing to low cost countries, or we will all pay the price with no jobs for our PhD's and College grads and risked supply of key components.

 

[Gimpy1]

Something to learn? Go back to the old days where a computer chip was not needed for an automobile to get you from point A to point B.

Yea lets all regress 50 years, cars where so much better back then. Come on dude this living in the past is idiotic. Chip availability is a repercussion of the pandemic, and will correct as factories ramp up. Same for steel which tripled in price, lumber etc. This is a temporary condition caused by a pandemic, stop regressing and figure out how to viably avoid a similar situation in the future.