The Stellantis factory in Sochaux (Doubs) is facing major logistical problems and has been producing more cars than it can ship for several days. Results of fully saturated car parks.
According to sources, several thousand vehicles are waiting in the car parks of the Sochaux factory, which for example produced 1,100 cars on Thursday November 17 alone, mostly Peugeot 3008 and 5008.
“We already had a supplier problem (for semiconductors, editor’s note), now it’s shipping problems,” breathes Jean-Luc Ternet, CFTC union representative.
“It’s nonsense”, comments Jérôme Boussard, of the CGT, when Force Ouvrière denounces “an ubiquitous situation”.
The management of Stellantis Sochaux evokes for its part that the logistics networks are confronted with “port congestion and instability of transport by rail”.
The car manufacturer is also engaged in “a reorganization of (its) downstream logistics”, adds a spokeswoman for the Stellantis factory in Sochaux. “The objective is to move from a system based on exclusive transport (with Gefco, editor’s note) to a new organization calling on more diversified players for the sake of performance”, she explains.
“In Sochaux, in addition to daily monitoring of the chartering of trucks and wagons, we have launched a collection service directly by the dealers”, indicates the Doubs factory.
New areas are secured to ensure storage, even if Stellantis is “on the way to reaching the point of equilibrium”, informs the management of the factory, which says it is exploring “innovative solutions”.
This is what specifies a French spokesperson for Stellantis. In Sochaux, the phenomenon is accentuated because the site is “a hub for the distribution of Peugeot, Opel and Citroën vehicles from other European factories”, adds the Doubs factory.
The staff representatives fear above all that this situation will turn against the employees. Force Ouvrière and the CFTC fear being placed in partial activity for lack of space to store vehicles.
With AFP