Summer days drifting away.....
not the greatest fan of that song or summer days in general. More of a Spring and Autumn fan. But it does bring on harvest and that is only 3 weeks away now, before powering into sugar beet, apples, then potatoes and carrots...
On the trailer scene suppliers are starting to use phrases like 2007 again.... which no one wants to hear. Certainly European manufacturers are on their arse. One French manufacturer is publishing output at about 30% - so guess what is around the corner - price wars - or is it?
Nothing is quite certain in the current cycle. Normally price drops to support wilting sales. But most manufacturers are weak from Covid or still trying to bring their factories back into consistent output. Sub suppliers such as Wabco or Knorr Bremse or axle suppliers have been hit by huge software outages or even factory fires. It is a strange world when a factory would prefer the outcome of a fire to the outcome of an IT hack! But there you go.
So crystal balls are in short supply and no doubt the wheels will rotate - companies will fall out with each other, and some manufacturers get sold to others such as Legras to Benalu. Now that was an interesting one. A strong French manufacturer purchasing a strong French manufacturer. Does that make an even stronger factory or confusion. Certainly the world of moving floors looks fragile with many companies investing in extra capacity just as sales tumble. Ouch.
Just rubbing in the sun cream now.
Posted by Andrew on 16/06/2023
