IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION

The last two years during and after the COVID pandemic have shown how global events can pose major challenges for globally networked supply chains.

"Even though supply chains have stabilised again, the tensions between China and Taiwan, the attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and piracy continue to place a strain on global trade by ship," says Reinhard Bauer, Head of Logistics, Purchasing and SCM at Banner Batterien. Shipping operators are currently avoiding the route between Asia and Europe, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and are now diverting their vessels via the southern tip of Africa, which extends the transport time by up to two weeks and consequently drives up costs. The recurring Deutsche Bahn rail strikes also frequently delay the transport of goods shipped between Asia and Hamburg by a further one to two weeks. “Because our batteries are manufactured exclusively in Europe, we are almost entirely unaffected by the global challenges posed by shipping," explains Reinhard Bauer. To make sure that the batteries reliably reach our customers on time, Banner largely utilises short supply chains and procures the primary and raw materials for its starter batteries in Europe.