Gerhardi’s demise shows how auto suppliers are hit

Tough times: Employees leave the commercial vehicle plant of German car manufacturer Volkswagen. The carmaker has struggled with the switch to EVs as it battles high costs at home and rising competition. — AFP

GERMANY’s Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik GmbH weathered Napoleon’s invasion, the Great Depression and two world wars. But Europe’s current auto slump has brought the plastics manufacturer to its knees.

Founded in 1796, Gerhardi started out making metal products before riding Germany’s postwar automotive boom.