Automotive economic storm: plastics in danger.(Operations & Finance)

Despite the steady toppling of suppliers over the past several years, the automotive industry still seems to have blinders on when it comes to facing up to the next sector or commodity in potential danger. As we've seen time and time again, "It won't happen here" can be written on many a corporate tombstone. In 2005 and 2006 we saw companies suffering whose chief raw material was steel for stampings. Notable bankruptcies in this space included Dana, Dura and Tower, but also included an untold number of smaller stampers and fabricators. Shortly thereafter, it was time for machining and casting companies to feel the effects. Raw material costs, overcapacity and offshore competition all …