Many effects

Turbulence in the automotive world is making waves

Glass is becoming scarcer, Klinger (left) knows, but there are more chassis, which is causing positive stress at Rosenbauer.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Markus Wenzel, Rosenbauer International)

Thousands of jobs could be lost, radical cost-cutting measures need to be implemented - the automotive world is in turmoil. And the turbulence in the automotive industry is also having an impact on other sectors. For example, glass manufacturers are taking maintenance breaks at plants, which in turn worries window manufacturers. Rosenbauer is even receiving chassis earlier than planned.

Audi wants to pull the plug on its plant in Brussels, the Chinese manufacturer Nio is being discussed as a possible new owner; at Magna in Graz, 1,000 jobs have been cut in the last twelve months, which is also linked to the turbulence at Fisker; at Volkswagen, up to 30,000 jobs are also at stake due to the tough cost-cutting measures, which are intended to reduce costs by several billion euros...

"Competition with China is fierce"
These three examples show how the automotive industry, especially in Europe, is currently teetering between full throttle towards new forms of propulsion and full braking. "We can see that competition with China is fierce," said voestalpine CEO Herbert Eibensteiner on Tuesday.

Sale of Buderus Edelstahl: decision in the next few weeks
The steel group is in the process of reorganizing sites in Germany "in order to adapt to the volumes," as Eibensteiner explains. The sale of Buderus Edelstahl is underway but has not yet been completed. "That will be decided in the next few weeks," says the voestalpine CEO.

While suppliers are feeling the direct effects of the difficulties in the automotive industry, there are also consequences for companies operating in other sectors. The Traun-based window manufacturer Internorm, for example, receives its flat glass from manufacturers who also supply the automotive industry. "Because things are not going so well at the moment, maintenance shutdowns for the plants are often brought forward," revealed company spokesperson Christian Klinger recently. Bottlenecks are possible: "We are not currently experiencing any."

Chassis delivered earlier than planned
The situation is different at Rosenbauer. The firefighting equipment supplier from Leonding, which had to contend with enormous delays in the completion of vehicles due to strained supply chains, is now even receiving individual chassis earlier than planned.

"We are in the process of taking this into account in our production planning, because the chassis also needs the other components," says CEO Sebastian Wolf. The company is constantly looking into bringing forward individual orders.