General Motors adding more downtime as chip shortage drags on

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - You may not know when you’re shopping for a semiconductor, but if you’ve tried to buy certain products in the last few months, you have some idea of what it feels like when a ready supply of these parts is not available. These semiconductors, or “microchips,” were in short supply before the pandemic. After the pandemic slowed buying, which in turn put a pause on production, the shortage got worse.

The PlayStation 5 is nearly impossible to buy, even though officially it has been released. Apple has warned that iPhone sales could (and likely will) be affected by the chip shortage. And production of new cars has slowed to a crawl, which in turn is raising the price of used cars.

General Motors (GM) in particular is being prevented from completing a fleet of vehicles until more chips are available.

Thursday they announced the Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant will add an additional week on downtime the week of Sept. 27, with production expected to resume Oct. 4. That plant, which builds the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave, has been down since July 19.

The Lansing Grand River Assembly plant will also take downtime in building the Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac Blackwing through the week of Sept. 27.

“These most recent scheduling adjustments are being driven by the continued parts shortages caused by semiconductor supply constraints from international markets experiencing COVID-related restrictions,” a GM representative told News 10. “Although the situation remains complex and very fluid, GM continues to prioritize full-size truck production which remains in high demand.”

Microchips are sometimes thought of as the new oil. Although they are inventions of the USA, the country gets most of its supply from foreign manufacturers.

In 2020, only 12% of microchips were made in the United States.

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.