A fire at a Meridian Lightweight Technologies plant in Michigan caused a major disruption in the automobile manufacturing industry. The fire meant that critical components used in vehicles were unavailable, and production of the popular Ford F150 pickup trucks was immediately halted. Production of vehicles made by General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and BMW was affected as well. While the disruption to the auto industry was not as extensive as that caused by the tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011, it did underscore the vulnerabilities and the urgent need for supply chain risk assessment.