Alert message from Automotive and Mobility Cluster of the Valencian Community (AVIA), which brings together the auxiliary automobile industry in the Valencian Community. The association has warned that companies in the sector need to guarantee the immediate reactivation of their activities “to avoid a possible deindustrialization of the sector.”
The sector that has Ford Almussafes as its main customer in Valencia and has grown around it, emphasizes that the effects go much further. “It is essential that companies receive immediate support to restart their activity, since Its stoppage is affecting the automotive industry throughout the national territory.“said Francisco Segura, president of AVIA, in a meeting with the Minister of Innovation, Nuria Montes.
During the meeting, representatives of the sector also have warned that hundreds of direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs could be lost. They have also insisted that reconstruction must begin immediately and that financial aid must arrive without delay.
Francisco Segura has provided a first estimate of the damage caused by DANA, pointing out that, in some cases, the damage covers the entire facilities of certain companies. The damage includes infrastructure, floors, electrical and computer installations, equipment, production lines, raw materials, machinery, tools and components in stock.
Although there is still no exact figure for losses, Segura has indicated that “The most affected companies have suffered damages amounting to hundreds of millions of euros and they do not know when they will be able to resume their operations.” In addition, he pointed out that “in some cases, there are companies that still do not know if they will be able to resume their work.”
Segura expressed his concern, given that many of the affected companies are direct suppliers of OEMs (First Equipment Manufacturers), which impacts the production of large plants, and effects are beginning to be seen in other production facilities. “It is essential to resume activity as soon as possible. In a sector like this, automakers could look for alternativesputting at risk the competitiveness achieved with so much effort by companies in the sector, not only in the Valencian Community.”
Transportation need
A specific demand raised during the meeting was the need to establish a transportation system so that more than 400 workers can access the production plants. These workers come from industrial areas of Almussafes, Picassent, Beniparrell or Sollana among others.
The president of AVIA has expressed his commitment to collaborating with the administration on the necessary measures for the recovery of the sector. Francisco Segura has stated that the cluster will lead the reactivation plan and will identify and channel the needs of the companies, in addition to contacting those companies that can contribute to the reactivation of activity.
Likewise, AVIA has informed the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism Nuria Montes that Other automotive clusters in Spain have offered their support and are jointly evaluating the impact of this stoppage on the sector’s value chain at the national level.. AVIA is also working on innovation and recovery projects for affected companies, in order to ensure the competitiveness of the industry in the Valencian Community.
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