Nov 20, 2025 - Business

Another aluminum plant fire threatens Ford's pickup truck production

Joann Muller

Rolls of aluminum sheet. — Rolls of aluminum at a Novelis plant. Photo: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa via Getty Images

Another fire broke out Thursday morning at a key aluminum supplier to the auto industry, a potential setback to the recovery from an earlier blaze that was already going to cost Ford $2 billion in lost production this quarter.

Why it matters: The Novelis plant in Oswego, N.Y., supplies 40% of the aluminum used by the U.S. auto industry, and Ford, with its lightweight aluminum-body F-series pickups, is its biggest customer.

Driving the news: The fire is the third at the plant in recent weeks.

A minor fire in October occurred while workers were repairing roof damage from the original Sept. 16 fire, according to a Novelis spokesperson.
Thursday morning's fire, which has been contained, is "likely more serious," she said.
Multiple local fire departments responded, and brought the fire under control. Crews remained on site as of midday to ensure it was fully extinguished.
Everyone working at the plant was safely evacuated.

What they're saying: It's too early to determine how Thursday's fire will affect efforts to get the plant back online, the Novelis spokesperson said.

Crews had been working around the clock, and had been optimistic it would be up and running before the end of the year.
Ford did not respond to a request for comment.

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Another aluminum plant fire threatens Ford's pickup truck production

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