Ford Replenishes Chip Supply, Finishes Thousands of F-150 Pickups

• Ford has received a new supply of semiconductor chips, ending a shortage that has caused major production stoppages this year across the auto industry.

• The chips will be installed on thousands of Ford F-series trucks that had been built and parked, waiting for the parts, in lots across several states.

• F-series sales dropped nearly 30 percent in June over year-earlier figures as dealers ran out of new stock, but for the year as a whole, they're down only 1.5 percent and there's little chance the big-selling trucks are any less popular.

The shortage of semiconductor chips has plagued automakers for months, slowing production lines and causing dwindling inventories, but Ford has taken a major step toward ameliorating the situation. The company has received a fresh supply of chips, which it will now install into thousands of F-series trucks that were waiting for them. F-series sales had dipped dramatically in June as a result of the supply woes, but this horde of new trucks will likely boost those figures back up.