Disruptions in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Supply Chains of the Automotive Industry as Crucial for the Polish Economy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify disruptions occurring in the supply chain of automotive enterprises operating in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic and ways to counteract them, taking into account the type of business conducted. The specific objectives are to identify and characterise the types of enterprises operating in automotive supply chains, to identify changes during the pandemic in automotive enterprises, depending on the type of activity, and to show disruptions in automotive supply chains and ways to counteract these disadvantages depending on the type of activity. Automotive enterprises operating in Poland were selected for the study purposefully. A random selection method was used to select 500 automotive companies for the study. The data sources were surveys conducted in June 2023 among 500 enterprises in the form of a direct telephone interview. The Pearson χ2 test of independence was used to check the existing relationships between the type of business activity and the results and responses obtained in the surveys. Automotive companies experienced supply chain disruptions, regardless of the type of business. Most often, these were caused by lockdowns and official closures, low stocks of materials and products, and problems with employees. The type of business conducted was not a factor determining the type of disruptions in the supply chain. All types of enterprises reported similar problems in the supply chain, such as longer order processing times, increased transport, storage, and labour costs, and decreased on-time delivery. Disruptions were most often short-lived, up to 1 year. Car producers indicated that disruptions were longer and even longer lasting compared to sales, maintenance, and repairs. Companies countered disruptions by using mostly operational measures, which were short-lived. Only a small percentage of operators made strategic decisions and countered disruptions over a longer period. The scale of these actions was greater among manufacturers than among dealers and car service companies. The theoretical contribution to science was the identification of disruptions and ways of responding to them in supply chains in the automotive industry, depending on the main types of activities conducted. A practical contribution may be the presentation of enterprises’ reactions to the uncertainty and the recommendation that enterprises have ready scenarios for responding to occurring disruptions.