Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Stops Production For 2 Days For Supply-Chain Issues

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Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia has cancelled production operations at its huge manufacturing plant in West Point, Ga., for two days due to supply chain issues.

In a statement, KMMG said it had cancelled production operations for March 19 and 20 "due to supply chain issues."

Normal operations were planned to resume Monday, March 23.

"KMMG will take the opportunity to perform routine maintenance activities, as well as additional cleaning and sanitizing processes to workstations throughout the facility as part of its prevention measures related to COVID 19 risks," the March 19 statement concluded.

A Kia Motors spokesman said the plant normally operates 24 hours a day Monday through Friday in three 8-hour shifts, in response to follow-up questions Atlanta Business Chronicle emailed about the shut-down statement. The spokesman, Patrick Sands, said he would be back in touch when he could "provide more information that may be relevant to your other questions."

Earlier, the Chronicle had asked a Kia spokesperson whether the manufacturer or its parent company was considering suspending production in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic, as some U.S. automakers have done.

"At this time, we are continuing to monitor the situation, especially within the state of Georgia, and will report back to you as soon as we have an update," spokesman James Bell said via email.

The KMMG advanced manufacturing facility represents a $1.1 billion investment on a 2,200-acre site, the company said. The plant produces the Telluride CUV, Sorento CUV and Optima midsize sedan and has an annual capacity of more than 340,000 vehicles.

The plant employed an estimated 3,700 workers in 2011, according to a Kennesaw State University writeup of an Asian Studies Program tour.

Approximately 74 miles away in Montgomery, Ala., Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC suspended production at its $1.7 billion auto assembly plant after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Both Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. are owned by Seoul, Korea-based Hyundai Motor Group.

This article originally appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle