Chrysler Group LLC plans to temporarily shut down its plant in Windsor, Ontario next week due to a shortage of parts, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

The plant, which is expected to reopen on February 7, is where the company builds its Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.

Spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to name the part or the supplier. The shutdown will primarily affect assembly line workers at the plant, she said.

A little more than 4,200 hourly workers are employed by the plant, according to Chrysler's website. Tinson said workers will receive a portion of their wages for the week.

A union official told trade publication Automotive News that the plant was temporarily closing because of several parts or raw materials shortages.

Rick Laporte, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 444, said another plant employee told him there was a shortage of aluminum materials from a Chinese supplier.

Laporte told Automotive News that the materials were used in minivan hoods and the plant was struggling with the supplier for about six months.

Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne was at the plant last week to announce new plans for the company's minivan lineup. He said at the January 18 event that the company is planning to build a new platform for a new generation of minivans.

Chrysler is managed by Italian automaker Fiat SpA (FIA.MI).

(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Bernard Orr)

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