Fiat Chrysler supplier plans temporary layoffs as Jeep production shifts in Toledo

A supplier for a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Jeep plant in Toledo has notified the state of Ohio of plans to temporarily lay off as many as 572 workers as production of the old Wrangler winds down and the company gears up to produce a new Jeep truck.

Hyundai Mobis, which is part of the Hyundai Motor Group, filed a notice Friday with the state of Ohio under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The filing, first reported by Automotive News, says Hyundai Mobis will stop production in Toledo from April 7 and resume operations some time after April 1, 2019.

"The anticipated schedule for the implementation of layoffs at the plant is as follows: Mobis North America will follow the FCA 2018/2019 Toledo Supplier Park Production Calendar," according to the notice, which lists 369 production assemblers among the affected workers.

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Messages seeking additional information were sent to Hyundai as well as Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12, the union representing the workers.

The Toledo Supplier Park also known as the South Plant is being retooled for production of the new Jeep truck. FCA spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to release production information about the new truck or say if Hyundai Mobis, which provides chassis for the old version of the Wrangler, or another supplier, Kuka, will be involved in the new operation. A camouflaged vehicle believed to be a Jeep truck was spotted recently by a Free Press staffer in the Detroit area.

FCA unveiled a new Wrangler at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. That version will replace the old version, so production will be winding down.

CEO Sergio Marchionne said last year the production changes will give the company the ability to produce "well over" 400,000 Wranglers or the new truck per year because "I think the truck and the Wrangler are interchangeable."

Despite the temporary layoffs at FCA's supplier, the changes in Toledo have netted additional jobs, according to the company, which said it added more than 700 jobs for production of the new Wrangler.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.