Chrysler shuts 4 plants on supplier dispute

DETROIT (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC said on Monday it has closed four of its U.S. assembly plants due to a dispute with supplier Plastech Engineered Products Inc, which filed for bankruptcy court protection.

The U.S. automaker, which terminated all its contracts with Plastech on Friday due to the supplier's "ongoing financial struggles," said the plants are in Rockford, Illinois; Newark, Delaware; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Toledo, Ohio.

Chrysler previously said in court documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Michigan that it might be forced to quickly close its 12 assembly plants around the world because the supplier is no longer shipping parts to the Chrysler plants. The plants operate on a "just-in-time" basis, where parts are shipped as needed.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)