LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – As Ford Motor Co.’s Louisville Assembly Plant entered its fifth full week off in 2021, President Joe Biden on Monday called for building up domestic manufacturing of computer chips during a meeting with CEOs from the auto industry and other sectors.
"We need to build the infrastructure of today, not repair the one of yesterday," he told the group of 19 executives from the technology, chip and automotive industries, according to the Associated Press. "China and the rest of the world is not waiting, and there’s no reason why Americans should wait."
Louisville Assembly Plant, which makes the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair SUVs, will be down this week and next as Ford continues to allocate scarce semiconductors among its network of North American plants.
WDRB News reported last week that the top union official at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant expects that facility to go dark for two weeks in late May, which a Ford spokeswoman did not confirm.
Biden used the White House virtual "summit" on Monday with business leaders, including Ford CEO Jim Farley, to push for his $2.3 billion infrastructure proposal. About $50 billion would go to semiconductor manufacturing and research, according the AP.
But analysts told the AP that while investments may prevent another chip shortage, the current shortage cannot be solved overnight.
