AS A FOOTNOTE to our earlier observations of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on supply chains, we read with interest a report in the Financial Times about how one carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, has been carrying parts out of China by hand in suitcases.
What caught this Bystander’s eye was that the component in the most immediate critical short supply for the company was key fobs of all things. But then, if you cannot get into the vehicle in the first place, it probably does not matter what else is missing.
Joking aside, carmakers from Fiat Chrysler to Volvo are now warning that parts shortages because of disruption to their supply chains in China could force a suspension to production in their plants around the world, in perhaps as soon as a couple of weeks.
China Bystander 