Another Blaze at Novelis Sparks Fresh Concerns for Ford’s Supply Chain
A new fire has erupted at the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, and it has once again put Ford’s supply chain under serious strain. This latest incident, which broke out around 8:45 a.m., is being viewed as yet another blow for one of Ford’s largest aluminum suppliers. According to Novelis, the blaze was quickly contained, all employees were evacuated safely, and crews remained on-site to monitor the situation. Still, even with no injuries reported, the disruption it caused has already raised major questions about what comes next.
What makes this especially concerning is the timing. This fire is the third one at the plant in just a few months. A major blaze in September had already forced the facility to shut down for months, hitting Ford particularly hard because the plant produces the aluminum sheets used in vehicles like the extremely popular F-150 pickup. That incident alone pushed Ford to temporarily cut production at the Kentucky Truck Plant and even slash its profit forecast by as much as $2 billion. A smaller fire was also reported in October, causing even more unease in the industry.
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Now, with yet another fire to assess, Novelis has said it is still too early to determine how this latest damage might affect the plant’s planned reopening. Initially, the company expected full operations to resume in early 2026, but had recently updated that timeline to a December restart for the most affected areas. Whether that target remains realistic is an open question.
Ford, meanwhile, has acknowledged the incident and is working closely with Novelis to understand the impact. But ripple effects are already being felt. Industry experts are noting that the automotive sector—already strained by supply chain challenges—may experience tighter inventories and higher prices. Shares of Ford dropped nearly 4% following news of the fire, and analysts have suggested that buyers hoping to purchase an F-150 next year may face higher costs and fewer available trucks. Patrick Penfield, a supply chain specialist from Syracuse University, pointed out that shortages could force Ford to explore additional aluminum suppliers if instability persists.
To put the scale of the issue in perspective, more than 80 firefighters from two counties worked for hours to get the blaze under control. Drone images showed fire still burning on the roof as crews poured water from multiple ladder hoses. The September fire had taken more than 20 departments four hours to extinguish, and the impact was so severe that it temporarily shut down auto plants in Tennessee and Michigan.
Novelis, known as the world’s largest supplier of aluminum sheets to the automotive industry, employs more than 1,100 people at its Scriba site. The company has been racing to repair earlier damage with round-the-clock work, even installing stadium lights to keep crews going through the night. Now, with another setback, the path forward may become even more complex.
For Ford, dealerships, and customers alike, these repeated fires are creating real uncertainty. And unless operations stabilize soon, the disruptions felt today could echo well into the next year.
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