Export footprint reflects effectiveness of automotive supply chain

AUTOMOTIVE CEOs, like their retail counterparts, are being driven to do business globally in order to increase capacity and reduce costs, presumably through the sourcing of cheaper parts. Both these main drivers indicate a healthy and robust industry gearing for further growth, Barloworld Logistics' supplychainforesight survey points out. When asked in which regions of the world automotive CEOs are doing or are planning to do business, a truly global picture emerges. The dominant region is Western Europe, followed by Africa, Southern Africa, Australia and South and Central America for downstream, or export business. The major regions of upstream or import business for the industry come from Western Europe and South/Central America. “This well-established export footprint, in particular, shows how effective and efficient the SA automotive supply chain has become, faced as it is with our geographical remoteness from many of these locations.”