BERLIN — Mercedes-Benz expects to reduce production at some of its European plants as supplies of parts produced in Ukraine run short.
The automaker said it will adjust shift planning at individual plants next week, but it will aim to avoid complete production stoppages.
“The high flexibility of the plants will also be used to avoid downtime as much as possible,” Mercedes said.
The automaker said it is working with suppliers to find alternative production sites for parts made in Ukraine.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are in close contact with our suppliers to work intensively together on solutions to secure our supply chains,” it said.
The Ukraine crisis is having a growing impact on auto production in western Europe as supplies of key components such as wire harnesses produced in the country come to a halt.
BMW, VW and Porsche have been forced to shut down production lines in Germany because of parts shortages.
German automakers are warning the fallout from the invasion of Ukraine will get worse and are bracing for shortages of neon gas for microchips, palladium for catalytic converters, and nickel ore for lithium ion batteries.