Manufacturers are working to re-route shipments as needed in the wake of Tuesday morning's Francis Scott Key bridge collapse and subsequent disruptions at the Port of Baltimore.
The port, one of the U.S.'s largest for handling auto and light vehicles, saw a record 847,158 cars and light trucks in 2023, as well as 1.3 million tons of roll on/roll off farm and construction machinery, according to the Maryland Port Administration.
With vessel traffic at the port still suspended, manufacturers including food giants like McCormick & Co. and automakers General Motors and Ford were assessing operational impacts and rerouting shipments as necessary.
Other automakers that use the port include Stellantis, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Read on for how manufacturers with operations and distribution centers in the area are responding to the accident.
General Motors
General Motors expects the situation to have a minimal impact on its operations, the company said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
"We are working to re-route any vehicle shipments to other ports as the recovery work continues," the automaker said.
Ford
The automaker has secured shipping alternatives as necessary, according to a company spokesperson on Tuesday afternoon.
McCormick & Co.
The food manufacturer's distribution center near Baltimore is open and operating, the company said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. The company said while it is too soon to know the full extent of the incident's impact, it continues to monitor the situation closely.
ASR Group
American Sugar Refining Group's Domino Sugar, the largest sugar manufacturer in the U.S., expects no short-term impact to its Baltimore operations, the company said in an emailed statement Tuesday afternoon. Domino’s refinery, which sits at Locust Point on Baltimore's harbor, has six to eight weeks of raw sugar supply on-site, with a ship currently discharging at its dock and another that delivered a shipment on Monday.
"ASR Group also owns a network of production facilities and has warehouses across the U.S. that all currently have healthy inventories of finished products and can be utilized if necessary," according to the statement.
Stanley Black and Decker
The tools manufacturer, which has facilities near Baltimore, is monitoring the situation with its ocean and land carriers but does "not anticipate any significant impact to our supply chain at this time," according to a company spokesperson Wednesday morning.
Has your company's supply chain been impacted by disruptions at the Port of Baltimore? Let us know at [email protected].
