PARIS (Reuters)-The Stellantis factory in Sochaux is expected to restart its production on Friday afternoon after more than three days of stopping caused by the failure of its new generation Chinese stamping press, a spokesman for the automaker born from the merger between PSA and FCA told Reuters.
The equipment, put into service in 2020 for an investment of 33 million euros, allows large versatility by manufacturing different body parts of the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 SUVs. Produced by the Chinese company Jier, this large format press was the cornerstone of the project to modernize the “Sochaux 2022” site.
Downstanding since Monday, the equipment must restart on Friday morning and, if the tests are conclusive, the production of cars will resume in stride, added the spokesperson.
This interruption, which led to the loss of 1,000 cars per day in one of the main Stellantis factories, which employs 3,000 employees in production, has fallen badly, only a few days after the site visit by the new director general, Antonio Filosa, as soon as his appointment announced.
The successor of Carlos Tavares will have the task of straightening the sales and financial performance of the automotive group, after a dark year also marked by industrial delays on certain vehicle launches and by the difficult quality problems management on petrol and airbags.
The breakdown also occurs while the automotive sector faces a new crisis linked to restrictions on rare earth export licenses for magnetic materials from China.
A car has many magnets, especially for its electric engines or electrified gearboxes, and the Clepa association of European equipment manufacturers has said to expect an increase in production lines and factories in the coming weeks if the crisis is not resolved and reconstituted stocks.
“We closely monitor the situation and work with equipment manufacturers and institutions to help in the license process,” added a spokesperson for Stellantis. “To date, (the group) has managed to face the immediate concerns of production without major interruptions.”
(Report Gilles Guillaume, with Giulio Piovaccari in Milan, edited by Blandine Hénault)
Copyright © 2025 Thomson Reuters
I have over 8 years of experience working in the news industry. I have worked as a reporter, editor, and now managing editor at 247 News Agency. I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the news website and overseeing all of the content that is published. I also write a column for the website, covering mostly market news.
