Global Plastic and Logistics Crisis Begins to Haunt Honda Car Production

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The national automotive industry is once again confronted with complex challenges. In addition to the semiconductor chip crisis that is slowly resolving, the dynamics of global logistics and the scarcity of technical plastic materials are now threatening production smoothness at manufacturers.

The global plastic crisis, triggered by rising prices of petrochemical raw materials and distribution obstacles, has become a crucial issue. This is because almost every part of a modern car, from the dashboard and door panels to mechanical components in the engine bay, relies on high-quality plastic materials.

Yusak Billy, Sales & Marketing and After Sales Operations Director of PT HPM, stated that his company is continuously monitoring the global situation to adjust necessary measures to maintain smooth Honda operations.

“In recent times, there have indeed been dynamics in the logistics processes and costs in several areas that are part of the global automotive industry supply chain,” said Billy, when contacted by Kompas.com recently.

Billy added that Honda is currently striving to mitigate the situation so that consumers do not have to wait long to receive their ordered units.

“This condition is still being managed by us at present, where we are evaluating supply planning for several models and continuously making adjustments to maintain a balance between supply and market demand,” he said.

“In certain conditions, if this dynamic continues, there is a possibility of adjustments in vehicle distribution to our dealers,” he stated.

This plastic crisis issue also raises concerns about potential vehicle price corrections in the future. More expensive plastic components due to the scarcity of certain polymers could increase per-unit production costs.