A production break has started at the Stellantis factory in Tychy. The reason is the disruptions in the supply of components for car production.
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Traditional collective holiday break at the plant in Tychy, where, among others, Fiat 500, is scheduled to start on July 26 and run until August 8. However, according to the statement of the factory management, addressed to employees, published on Friday, the plant has actually suspended work since the beginning of July, and its resumption in the next two weeks depends on developments in the semiconductor supply.
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– The reason for the downtime is problems with the supply of semiconductors, such as in engine management and safety systems. We are dependent on two suppliers in this respect. The problem, which has been observed for a long time, is global and affects not only the automotive industry – explained on Friday the spokesman of FCA Poland, a company belonging to the Stellantis group, Rafał Grzanecki.
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Production break in the factory in Tychy
As stated in the announcement addressed to the crew, the planned downtime is associated with “sudden and unexpected circumstances related to the supply of components for car production”. In recent months, representatives from various automotive companies have reported that the pandemic has disrupted supply chains, and many have not yet returned to normal. The shortages of semiconductors, in addition to the automotive industry, also affected, household and electronics manufacturers.
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As Grzanecki said, the factory in Tychy has recently had a problem with the lack of components – there were several-hour breaks, but now the problem is wider and requires production to be suspended. – It is not possible to produce cars without these components and then retrofit cars – said the spokesman. This would mean quickly filling the parking lots with cars waiting for the missing elements to be installed.
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The plant representatives hope that the loss in production will be able to be made up for in the following months, when the crew is to work also on Saturdays. – There is a demand for our cars and we hope that we will be able to meet it – assured Grzanecki.
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Conversations with trade unionists
On Friday, the management of the factory in Tychy agreed with the unions operating in it that days from 5 to 9 July would be free from work, and instead three Saturdays in August and two in September would be working days. It was also previously agreed that the days off are July 1 and 2, and two other Saturdays in September will be working days.
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“In the period from 12 to 16 July this year, in the event of the inability to start production of cars, the Employer will successively announce the days of downtime” – stated in the release. On such days, employees who are ready to work are to receive a parking stop, in accordance with the collective agreement in force in the company. However, if it is still not possible to start production between 19 and 23 July, employees are to receive the so-called collective leave, instead of a similar leave in December this year. If, however, semiconductor deliveries are resumed, the factory is to start operating in July.
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About the factory
The main model of the car manufactured in Tychy is the Fiat 500 – 2.5 million copies of this car have been produced in the last 14 years, which makes it the most popular model in the history of the Tychy factory.
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In 2020, the factory produced a total of over 173.9 thousand. cars, compared to less than 263.2 thousand. cars in 2019 and almost 259.5 thousand. in 2018. This means that last year, the factory in Tychy produced over 89 thousand. cars less than the year before. The drop in production was a consequence of the pandemic and the resulting three-month downtime – in the face of falling demand for cars.
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FCA Poland is the largest company of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group in Poland, and its plant in Tychy is one of the most modern car factories in the world. Currently, the plant is part of the Stellantis concern, which was established last year as a result of the merger of the FCA and PSA groups.
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photo-source">Main photo source: media.stellantis.com
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