A set of events, not necessarily linked to each other, ranging from the health emergency to ongoing "accidents", including the recent grounding in the Suez Canal of the container ship Ever Given, have and will have a consequence visible to all: delays in the delivery of motorcycles and scooters.
Microchip crisis
There are multiple issues to consider, but apart from the delays triggered at the start of the pandemic, part of the problems would seem to come from the real lack of electronic components, vital for the production of new motorcycles. The current situation sees the diversion of these components towards producers of consumer electronics (smartphones, laptops, televisions, console, etc.), the products sector which, thanks also to the epidemic and the growing demand for devices digital, has been experiencing an exponential growth phase since last year.
Logistical concerns
Since last Tuesday, the Ever Given container ship has been stranded in a sandbank along the strait that connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, through which 10% of world trade passes. This giant ship, 400 meters long, is wedged against the east bank of the canal, and multiple attempts to get it out of this mess have so far failed. There are currently around 280 ships stranded and awaiting transit, with the average passage being 50 ships per day.
This leads to delivery delays for many goods, including for motorcycle manufacturers. So Ducati, which makes its motorcycles in Bologna, Italy, and exports worldwide, said finished products destined for Asia through the canal are unlikely to reach customers on time.
So far there has been no impact on Ducati's production. But Chief Executive Claudio Domenicali said supply interruptions due to transportation difficulties in recent months were among the biggest threats to the company's recovery since the second half of 2020. "It's a little worse than the "last year," Mr. Domenicali said.
A Ducati spokeswoman said the company, owned by German carmaker Audi AG, would arrange alternative transport, including more expensive air freight, if delays at the Suez Canal threatened the import of parts needed for the production.
The economic fallout due to the congestion of maritime traffic is enormous: one estimate speaks of a global loss of nine billion dollars for each day of paralysis.
