MARCH 25, 2011, 1:43 P.M. ET.

GM to Reopen U.S. Truck Plant

By SHARON TERLEP

General Motors Co. said Friday it will reopen a Louisiana truck factory that had been shut due to the crisis in Japan.

The Shreveport plant that makes small pickup trucks will reopen Monday after a five-day production stoppage to conserve parts following the earthquake and tsunami that disrupted suppliers in the region.

In Japan, power outages, damage to factories and the unfolding nuclear disaster has created mass uncertainty over whether companies there can produce parts used by industries around the world. Amid the uncertainty, GM stopped building the slow-selling trucks it makes in Louisiana to ensure other factories would have the essential parts.

GM said Friday it has begun getting more reliable information from suppliers that is helping the company better plan.

That doesn't mean the risk has passed for the global auto industry. The fallout of any parts shortage would take at least a few weeks to surface because manufacturers have been able to keep operating with existing supply.

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