Japanese earthquake impacts international auto component supplies

The impact of the devastating earthquake which hit Japan on March 11 has not only been felt by Japanese automobile companies but has also started to affect international auto producers.
 
A spokesman for General Motors (GM) has stated that the Japanese earthquake has impacted the international supply chain for automobile components. Accordingly, General Motors' Spanish factory in Zaragoza closed on March 21, while operations at two production lines in Eisenach, Germany were halted on March 21 and March 22.
 
General Motors previously closed a truck facility in Louisiana on March 17, while it closed operations at two facilities in South Korea on March 21. GM has also announced the shutdown of its assembly plant at Shreveport, Louisiana in the US during the current week due to a shortage of parts coming from Japan, caused by the earthquake.