Zwickau (dpa/sn) – Due to high energy costs, the AMZ association has warned of a renewed collapse of supply chains in the automotive industry. The majority of suppliers have full order books, but can hardly pass on higher energy prices to their customers because of long-term contracts, explained AMZ network manager Dirk Vogel on Wednesday. As a result, companies could soon reduce their production or stop it altogether. A “consequential domino effect” threatens in the closely intertwined industry. “The energy supply must be massively increased so that energy prices fall again,” demanded Vogel.
The automotive and supplier industry will meet this Wednesday and Thursday for the Automotive Forum in Zwickau. The approximately 160 members of the Network for Automotive Suppliers in Saxony (AMZ) also come together. According to the information, around 800 companies with 95,000 employees are assigned to the industry as a whole in the Free State. Due to the switch to electromobility and increased digitization, it has been undergoing a profound change for several years. Above all, the lack of semiconductors as a result of the Corona crisis had led to production losses.
In a survey by the AMZ, in which 58 companies took part, 70 percent classified the current energy crisis as a threat to the existence of their company. Half of the companies admitted that without a price increase they would have to stop production in the next few months. And almost everyone has to shoulder price increases from suppliers, one in four has already lost suppliers.
The exploding energy costs are an enormous burden for consumers and medium-sized companies, stressed the managing director of the Association of the Automotive Industry, Marcus Bollig, in a statement. “Politicians must now do everything they can to reduce energy costs and ensure that companies remain competitive.” The announced gas price brake is an urgently needed signal. In addition, the electricity tax must be reduced quickly to the European minimum.
