NEWS&EVENTS
MANUFACTURING
Action to help reduce delivery delays
Decisive action to ensure motorhome buyers get their new models as soon as possible is being taken after delivery delays start to hit record levels.
Usually buyers of new motorhomes must wait up to six or eight months for their new ’van to be delivered but reports of delays of more than a year are appearing.
“The pressures we are facing with the supply chain at present are probably the most severe we have ever experienced,” explained Simon Howard, Marketing Director at Bailey.
“Motorhomes have been particularly severely hit with the global shortage of microchips and semiconductors leading to significant cuts in the number of cabs available to us from both suppliers [Peugeot and Ford].”
The delays are hitting the entire industry and are down to a multitude of factors, including the shortage of microchips, which has reportedly led to the shutdown of the Sevel plant in Italy, which manufactures the Fiat Ducato, as well as the Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Relay.
According to Reuters, it has temporarily stopped production because of the shortage of semiconductor chips. MMM contacted Stellantis, which operates the plant, to confirm how long the shutdown will last and what impact it will have on the delivery of new base vehicles but it declined to comment.
Other issues causing the delivery delays include the shortage of lorry drivers, shipping delays (some Brexit-related), a slowdown in the manufacturing of essential equipment like fridges, gas cylinders, etc, and some factories being forced to reduce production because of Covid outbreaks.
Despite this myriad of issues, manufacturers like Bailey say
