Ford has announced that it will continue production of its Super Duty pickup trucks despite a UAW strike against International Truck and Engine Corp. International supplies Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky truck assembly plant with more than 200,000 Powerstroke diesel V8 engines a year, which are used in Ford’s Super Duty trucks.
International is working through the strike — which began Tuesday — with nonunion employees and management. “We’re going to continue producing where necessary,†said International spokesman Roy Wiley. “We’re using our nonunion employees that are already working for us.â€
It remains unclear how long the strike will last, although some analysts believe it could last several days. “Fiery commentary from the UAW indicates that the strike could span longer than just a few days,†Itay Michaeli, an auto industry analyst with Citigroup Investment Research told Automotive News. “If engine inventories dry up as a result of the strike, we estimate that Ford could lose up to an incremental $22 million in earnings before interest and taxes per week,†he continued.
Earlier this month, Ford idled its Louisville plant for two weeks to prevent an inventory build-up of its Super Duty trucks.
