Marian Bolboe, Schaeffler Romania: “We have a roadmap for the next years and I am optimistic about 2022”

“Three years ago, our prediction for worldwide production was around 100 million cars, but reality shows us a volume of 20 percent below this prediction. For suppliers in automotive industry like Schaeffler we saw some small increase this year vs last year. The most important thing is our flexibility in the production and the management offensive. We saw some good results in terms of EBITDA and cash flow,” Marian Bolboe, Plant Manager Automotive, Schaeffler Romania said during Automotive Forum 2021.

“2021 brought huge pressure and new challenges like the steel crisis, the logistic crisis, the semiconductor crisis. I think that next year will be even more challenging with this semiconductor crisis to continue. Regional crisis and political crisis will affect the supply chain in every business.

We already see the energy crisis, and this is expected to be around for next year as well. It’s very important to redefine the business model and the product portfolio for new mobility and sustainability projects. More important is to be flexible and innovative in 2022.

The most intelligent investment is in the innovation zone and in the education. We are adapting our portfolio to the long-term predictions on propulsion systems.

We need to find the best solutions for the future of the electric cars and hydrogen vehicles. In 10 years only 30 percent of the cars on the street will have a combustion engine, with the rest being electric or hybrid, that’s our prediction.

I am optimistic about next year. We have already a roadmap for the upcoming years so we have the base for success. We know what to do and how to do it. I am really confident for the successful business in 2022.”

Full recording of the event here