The disaster in Japan has stopped the production of cars in Japan, but now the effects spread to the rest of the world. Some of the world's dominant suppliers of components are in Japan, mainly suppliers of electronics.
In Sweden Volvo Car Corporation are currently affected the most. They have enough components to cover one week of production, but thereafter the situation is uncertain.
- Approximately ten percent of a car's component value, mainly electronics, come from Japan, says Per-Åke Fröberg, press officer at Volvo Cars.
For Saab the situation looks better, but they could also be affected eventually:
At Saab, the situation is so far calmer.
- We have no problems for the time being, says information manager Eric Geers. Our main suppliers are located in southern Japan. But we are looking into if our production will be affected by suppliers to our suppliers being affected.
Let's hope Saab's production won't be affected.
Update: Ynnor AB has some more information about Saab's Japanese suppliers:
Saab's production has not been affected yet.
- We have seven main suppliers, but they are all in southern Japan, says Saab Automobile's communications director Eric Geers.
- But they in turn have sub-contractors in the affected areas. Now it remains to see what backup solutions there is to handle any stock shortages.
Overall, Saab has 22 Japanese subcontractors. Seven of them deliver directly to the production and 15 to the accessories market.
- We have daily contact, says Eric Geers.
