The German truck and bus manufacturer MAN was forced to send about 11,000 employees on unpaid leave due to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
The Volkswagen Group-owned company said on Wednesday that its facilities in Munich and Krakow, Poland, have been halted since March 14 due to the cessation of supplies of electrical wires produced at Ukrainian factories. At three other MAN sites, production volumes have been reduced, including at the engine plant in Nuremberg.
“Suppliers of electrical wiring for trucks cannot produce it at Ukrainian enterprises or can produce it in very limited quantities,” MAN said in a statement. “As a result, we could lose production for several weeks, which will sharply reduce output figures in the second quarter.”
The company said it has already started looking for additional sources of truck wiring harnesses in other countries.
“However, this will take several months,” said Alexander Vlaskamp, chief executive officer of MAN.
The company notes that its employees will be transferred to a reduced working hours scheme, in which MAN compensates them for 80% of lost income from both its own and state funds.
The problems of Ukrainian suppliers previously led to disruptions in the work of Volkswagen and BMW enterprises.
Most of the Ukrainian enterprises for the production of electrical wiring, located in the western part of the country, have resumed work, the Financial Times newspaper writes, citing representatives of several enterprises.
Thus, the German Leoni, which owns two factories in the west of Ukraine, has already reported that both of its enterprises have returned to work.
Other companies, including Aptiv and Kromberg & Schubert, have resumed production, FT sources say.
COMPONENTS, EUROPE, FACTORIES, MAN, MANUFACTURER, TRUCK, UKRAINE
Ukraine can become a better supplier of raw materials and components for future technologies for Europe than China, Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič has said.
“I think you can do better than China. I understand the President, the Prime Minister and your business leaders who want to ensure that Ukraine builds an entire vertically integrated value chain around critical raw materials and that as much value added as possible remains in Ukraine […] Ukraine clearly could be the key supplier of raw materials and components for these future technologies for Europe,” Šefčovič said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
America’s Boeing will supply components for the family of Ukraine’s regional new generation An-148/158/178 planes developed and produced by Ukraine’s state-owned state Antonov concern based in Kyiv. At Farnborough Airshow 2018, Antonov and a division of Boeing – Aviall Services, Inc. – signed a general terms agreement for cooperation in the production of the modernized An-148, An-158, An-178 aircraft, the family of which will be designated as “An-1X8 NEXT,” Antonov said on Facebook.
“Within the framework of this cooperation, Aviall Services, Inc. will ensure the procurement and delivery of a wide range of components for the serial production of these aircraft and the provision of their post-sales support,” the post says. “As a result of the agreement with Aviall, Antonov has a reliable partner, which will become an important integrator in the process of acquiring a number of western-made components within the import substitution program, including the launch of the serial production of the newest An-type aircraft and post-sales support,” the post says, quoting Antonov President Oleksandr Donets.
The An-178 is being created to replace the An-12, according to experts, who say it may become a modern replacement for the French-German C-160. The aircraft has a modified fuselage shape, a ramp for loading and unloading oversized cargo and is capable of carrying up to 18 tonnes of cargo, including heavy-duty sea containers.
About 200 companies from 15 countries are involved in production cooperation under the An-178 program. Antonov is promoting the An-178 program, including in the Middle East and Central Asia. The UAE, China and Azerbaijan have already shown interest in the new Ukrainian transport carrier. The debut show of the An-178 was held at Le Bourget 2015 (Paris, France), where the new Ukrainian carrier became one of the main events, as well as at the regional Dubai Air Show 2015 (UAE), where it was showcased. According to the sources of the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Antonov is also negotiating the joint development of the An-178 program with European members of NATO.
State Enterprise Antonov is a leading Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of aircraft equipment, a recognized world leader in the manufacture of transport aircraft. Under a government decision, the enterprise in 2015 was incorporated in state-owned Ukroboronprom Concern.
Farnborough is one of the largest and most prestigious world specialized exhibitions of civil and military aerospace products. According to organizers, more than 15,00 exhibitors from 52 countries are showcased at Farnborough 2018, which is taking place in the suburbs of London on July 16-22.
Ukraine’s new transport An-178 with a payload capacity of 18 tonnes is demonstrated at the air show.
