European Auto Suppliers Hit by Factory Closures Amid China’s Rare Earth Curbs

‘China’s export restrictions are already shutting down production in Europe’s supplier sector,’ CLEPA Secretary General Benjamin Krieger said.

Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, on Oct. 31, 2010. Stringer/Reuters

Europe’s main auto supplier association said on June 4 that China’s export restrictions on rare earth elements have led to the shutdown of several production lines and plants across the continent.

CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, which represents more than 3,000 companies in the automotive supply industry, said in a June 4 statement that further disruptions are expected as inventories deplete in the coming weeks.