A late-night fire leveled a key part of a New York aluminum plant in hours. Its absence is going to disrupt business at Ford Motor and other automakers for months to come.
The plant’s operator, Novelis, supplies about 40% of the aluminum sheet used by the auto industry in the U.S. Novelis said a major portion of its Oswego, N.Y., plant has been knocked offline until early next year.
Ford is the biggest user of the plant. Its F-150 pickup, the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. and the automaker’s main profit driver, is one of the industry’s biggest users of aluminum, writes The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 7, 2025). The setback is severe.
“This represents a serious question for the production of F-150 because that’s the aluminum that comes out of Oswego,” said an industry analyst. Ford switched the F-150’s exterior to aluminum from steel a decade ago.
“Since the fire nearly three weeks ago, Ford has been working closely with Novelis, and a full team is dedicated to addressing the situation and exploring all possible alternatives to minimize any potential disruptions,” stated Ford.
It is the latest supply-chain snafu for the global auto industry, roiled in recent years by trade wars, a global semiconductor shortage and a potentially crippling reliance on China for rare-earth magnets used in vehicles.
Though automakers and other major industrial manufacturers worked to diversify their supply chains in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which shut off access to Chinese factories, companies often remain largely dependent on one or two makers for critical parts because of the high cost tied to employing multiple suppliers.
Around a dozen automakers get aluminum from Novelis, including Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Jeep maker Stellantis.
Classroom discussion questions:
- Which tool(s) in Supplement 11 could be used by Ford in this situation?
- What do other major car manufacturers do ?
