The Louisville Assembly Plant, where Ford Motor Co. makes the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, will close next week due to a parts shortage.Kelli Felker, spokesperson for Ford, said the plant would close due to a supplier part shortage connected to a greater, global semiconductor shortage. A recent article from the Financial Times pointed out other automakers like Volkswagen, Nissan and Honda were experiencing similar production delays.The plant at 2000 Fern Valley Rd. employs 3,900 hourly workers, and Felker said the automaker would compensate employees approximately 75% of their gross pay during the week of Jan. 11 to Jan. 17 when they will be out of work.Deloitte, a global professional services company, projected in a 2019 report that the semiconductor components that make up these electronic systems will cost $600 per car by 2022. Another study by ReportLinker, which came out in 2020, projected the global automotive semiconductor market would reach $51.2 billion by 2025.Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant at 3001 Chamberlain Lane, which makes Ford F-250–F-550 Super Duty Trucks, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators, was not included in the closure announcement.Between the automaker’s two local operations, Ford is the largest manufacturing firm in Louisville with local full-time employment of 13,020 workers, according to Louisville Business First data.Click here to read more of the article on the Louisville Business First site.