Posted on Apr 10, 2021 at 11:00 AMUpdated Apr 10, 2021, 11:10 AM
“Frankly, after the Covid last year, the automobile did not need that this year! Claude Cham, president of the Fiev (Federation of vehicle equipment industries), can only see the damage. The sector is at the heart of the serious logistical problems affecting the industry. “We are seeing strong pressure on prices, even shortages, on steel, plastic, and of course, on electronic components: 84% of our members are affected, who must stop their production lines, resort to unemployment partial… This is very worrying, ”continues the manager.
A particularly complex product resulting from the assembly of thousands of components of all kinds, the car has also become the symbol of “just in time” production, consisting in limiting stocks as much as possible. The slightest strain on the logistics chain has immediate consequences. Not a day without a manufacturer announcing production breaks: General Motors has just announced that it is extending the shutdown of several of its American factories, after Stellantis, Hyundai, Volvo, or Toyota, which had come in recent days complete the list of Volkswagen, Ford, Renault or Nissan, which had already announced partial plant closures linked to these deficiencies.