Bleak prospects for suppliers as carmakers 'make do and mend'

摘要

Cost savings by car manufacturers are likely to hit outsourcing services, with one observer forecasting that the industry must brace itself for three years of hardship. With echoes of wartime austerity, car manufacturers will have to 'make do and mend' and that may mean taking over jobs that were previously done by outside suppliers. In the words of Nissan parts purchasing general manager Geoff Smith: "Our priorities used to be concerned with improving profit, increasing market share and reaching volume targets, but it's different now.