To ensure that companies within the mobility industry do not fall over and that valuable knowledge and expertise is lost, the RAI Association advocates European cooperation to get the important sector back on track after the corona crisis.
According to RAI’s chairman Steven van Eijck, the mobility industry is one of the most important economic pillars in the Netherlands. Only the construction of cars and suppliers of products for the sector generates a turnover of 20 billion euros annually. In 90 percent of the cases this concerns products that are exported. In addition, the Netherlands accounts for about 70 percent of the bicycle manufacturers that exist. Employment in this industry should therefore not be lost to the sector organization. “We need to slowly start up industry again and get people and machines back to work.”
According to the RAI Association, success depends on the availability of sufficient parts to be able to start up again. “When our members receive no or insufficient parts because production in certain countries is still subject to restrictions, we don’t make any progress.” According to Van Eijck, it is therefore very important to bundle European coordination and work well together for the best possible restart. The European industrial umbrella organizations ACEA and CLEPA support the proposal of the Dutch association. Due to the Dutch open economy, which is focused on exports, Van Eijck sees it as our country that we can take the lead in coordinating the European restart. “I call on the Cabinet to pick up this glove as soon as possible.”
A Dutch survey shows that the mobility industry has now lost 31 percent turnover and that the biggest blows are still expected. Work is halted at 50 to 75 percent of European automotive suppliers and nothing is happening at the moment with no less than 90 percent of the production tires for cars and trucks. Also, bicycles, motorcycles or scooters are hardly ever produced.