TOKYO -- Pandemic lockdowns and semiconductor shortages are not the only production headaches hobbling Mazda. An ultra-tight labor market is also slowing the company’s ramp up to full production of the CX-50 crossover at its new plant in Alabama.
Mazda is having trouble attracting workers and keeping them at the plant, which is still working at one shift some 10 months after its line-off ceremony in January.
Senior Managing Executive Officer Masahiro Moro said the company is pushing back its original timeline to add a second shift by the end of this year.