Russian strikes on Ukrainian plants disrupt European carmakers' supplies

Russian attacks on factories in Ukraine belonging to the German automotive supplier Kromberg & Schubert have repeatedly disrupted deliveries of electrical wiring harnesses to European carmakers. The episode shows that the effects of the war in Ukraine continue to reach car production in Europe.

The supply problems hit the factories of German group BMW in Regensburg and Leipzig in Germany, as well as in Oxford in the UK, where MINI cars are built. The company had to reduce or cancel some work shifts. Czech manufacturer Škoda restricted additional and night shifts for several weeks, which also affected production of the Enyaq and Elroq electric cars and the Kodiaq. Production at both carmakers has now gradually returned to its usual pace.

Plants hit repeatedly

Kromberg & Schubert's plants in Zhytomyr and Lutsk have been hit several times by Russian attacks, and operations were halted for a period. The factories also supply components to Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Porsche, but those manufacturers have not reported any production disruption so far.

The situation is complicated by the fact that each car model needs a wiring harness of a specific configuration, so production cannot quickly be moved to another factory. That requires suitable equipment, trained staff and approval from the carmaker.

A similar scenario before

The European auto industry experienced similar problems in 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To reduce dependence on Ukraine, suppliers set up additional production capacity in North Africa as well. Still, the repeated disruptions show that automotive supply chains remain vulnerable, and diversifying them requires additional investment.