Winter Storm Disrupts Wide Swath of American Business
UPS said the weather could cause delays in areas not directly affected by the storm. Packages can take longer to get from one location to another, and many delivery services move goods through large sorting hubs to service both the east and west coasts in the middle of the country. UPS’s main airport is in Louisville, Ky., And also has its center in Dallas, for example.
winter storm The United States Postal Service prompted the closure of post offices, processing hubs and other facilities in Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, according to its website.
The storm has also affected Amazon, which operates its own large logistics network consisting of contractors-operated planes, hubs and delivery vans.
“The health and safety of our employees, customers and package drivers is our top priority,” a spokesperson said. “With an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of all, we have closed some of our sites in Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Indiana and Kentucky.”
Some vehicle manufacturers said they shut down operations in an effort to limit their energy use. Ford built Clacomo, Mo., Kansas City, Mo. This week closed down a plant near “to make sure we minimize the use of natural gas that is important to people’s homes,” a company spokesman said.
The plant produces the F-150 pickup truck, one of the industry’s best-selling vehicles. Ford does not plan to resume normal operations at its closed plant until Monday. The factory employs about 7,300 people. Union workers will be paid 75 percent of their gross salary for the week.
A spokesman said Nissan closed four of its US plants on Monday and canceled the Tuesday morning and afternoon shifts. Canton, Miss. And Smyrna, Tenn. Two of the plants make cars and the other two, both in Deichard, Tenne, make engines. The company is monitoring the situation to see if it can resume production on Tuesday night.
