Sharing data key to reduce supply chain disruptions, Renault exec says By Reuters

MILAN (Reuters) -Automakers have a lot of data they can share with suppliers, logistic partners and governments to help reduce supply chain disruptions, Renault (PA:) alliance group VP of supply chain Jean-Francois Salles said on Thursday.

Salles said the transition to electric mobility, combined with climate mandates and disruptions following the COVID pandemic, were making supply management challenging for Renault and other automakers.

“We have to expect more frequent and more extended adverse events, and the industry has to adapt to it,” he said during an online Reuters automotive event. “We have to simplify processes and speed-up operation.”

Renault alliance group includes the French carmakers’s Japanese partners Nissan (OTC:) Motors and Mitsubishi Motors (OTC:).

Salles said a way to reduce disruptions was to share data with stakeholders.

“Of course not everything can be shared, but there a lot of data that we can share,” he said.

Renault expects to produce at least 300,000 fewer vehicles this year due to a global shortage of semiconductors, sources told Reuters earlier this week, while information provider IHS Markit estimates chip shortages could cost the global automotive industry around 11 million vehicles in lost production in 2021.