
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter
-
No 'eye for an eye' approach to US tariffs: Mexico
-
NFL club owners back dynamic kickoffs, delay tush push vote
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump nominee says to press UK on Israel arms
-
French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote
-
The battle to control assets behind Bosnia crisis
-
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
-
Mass layoffs targeting 10,000 jobs hit US health agencies
-
Tiger's April Foolishness: plan to play Masters just a joke
-
Myanmar quake toll passes 2,700, nation halts to honour victims
-
Turkish fans, artists urge Muse to cancel Istanbul gig
-
US seeks death penalty for accused killer of insurance CEO
-
UK govt moves to block sentencing guidelines for minority defendants
-
Trump puts world on edge as 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom
-
Swedish journalist jailed in Turkey kept 'isolated': employer
-
Stock markets advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
Gulf between Everton and Liverpool has never been bigger, says Moyes
-
Finland to withdraw from anti-personnel mine ban treaty
-
UK vows £20 million to boost drone and 'flying taxi' services
-
Ford's US auto sales dip in first quarter as tariffs loom
-
Digging for box office gold, 'A Minecraft Movie' hits cinemas
-
Southampton boss Juric desperate to avoid Premier League 'worst team' tag
-
Thailand rescue dogs double as emotional support
-
Five takeaways from Marine Le Pen verdict
-
Stock markets split ahead of Trump tariffs deadline

Trucker uprising hits key artery in US-Canada car industry
The Canadian trucker protest has temporarily sidelined a key auto industry transport route, adding stress to a North American car industry already pinched by low inventories and supply chain problems that have sent vehicle price soaring.
Several leading automakers said Thursday they reduced production and cut labor shifts due to the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Canada with the US city of Detroit.
The bridge has been sidelined since Monday night as a two-week, trucker-led uprising against coronavirus restrictions has spread from the Canadian capital.
The route is a crucial gateway for the car industries in the neighboring nations, in a region that is effectively a "giant auto industry cluster," said Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University.
Miller said finished goods pass north and south over the bridge, while parts and components may cross the border six or seven times during the manufacturing process, making the country of origin essentially irrelevant for the auto industry.
The bridge is used daily by more than 40,000 commuters and tourists, along with trucks carrying $323 million worth of goods on average.
The car industry has relied on easy and reliable access to the bridge since the 1960s, said Fraser Johnson, a supply chain expert at Ivey Business School at Western University.
In an era of "just in time" inventories, "the plants may have anywhere from just a few hours of inventory to just a few days of inventory," he said.
"So as soon as we get disruptions like this, then that puts the continuous operation of the car plants and their supplier in jeopardy."
- Worsening the 'already bad' situation -
Canadian and American officials and industry groups have warned of significant damage to trade and employment if the disruption is prolonged.
So far, auto companies have described the impact as meaningful but limited.
Ford is running its Canadian plants in Oakville and Windsor at "reduced capacity," a company spokesperson said. "We hope this situation is resolved quickly because it could have widespread impact on all automakers in the US and Canada."
A Toyota spokesperson alluded to existing supply shortages, adding that plants in Canada and the state of Kentucky have been affected by "this most recent challenge."
Toyota expects disruption through the weekend but "we do not anticipate any impact to employment at this time," the official said.
Stellantis said all its North American plants were running Thursday morning, "but a number of US and Canadian plants cut short second shifts Wednesday night, while General Motors canceled its second shift on Wednesday and first shift on Thursday at a Lansing, Michigan plant.
The disruption comes as US retail inventories of new vehicles remain extremely low, and used car prices are still elevated, although the massive increases seen last year have slowed.
Automakers have offered mixed appraisals on the semiconductor picture that has impacted manufacturing. Most companies expect the shortage to ease somewhat in 2022 as long as there are no more semiconductor outages due to Covid-19 restrictions or other unforeseeable reasons. But supply is likely to remain tight through at least mid-year.
"This is piling on to top of an already bad situation -- the microchip shortage, a situation that is not getting solved," said Karl Brauer, analyst at iSeeCars.com.
And Johnson said the disruption at Ambassador Bridge is not easily solved with alternative routes. For example, shifting traffic through Buffalo is problematic because the city's roads lack the infrastructure to handle truck traffic.
Miller said the route also is an important road for other raw materials and goods, such as aluminum exported from Canada to the United States, or plastics shipped in the opposite direction.
"For the auto industry, it's very worrisome," said Miller, who warned the pain will spread to other sectors if the blockade drags on.
J.Williams--AMWN