Customers dealing with troubled automotive suppliers often decide to resource production to other suppliers rather than facilitate a true restructuring of the troubled supplier's business. Such resourcing, however, generally cannot be done overnight. Tier 1 suppliers or original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") often take months to resource production. Because of the "just in time" production process, Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs often cannot afford to be without component parts or tooling for the period of time that it may take to resource.

Given the state of the economy, it will not be a rare occurrence in the short term for a supplier to receive a request to sell and deliver further goods to a purchaser who has filed proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) or Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code — and who is already indebted for unpaid pre-filing sales.

In the current economic climate, businesses are likely to take a keen interest in the ability of their suppliers and customers to meet their obligations. This can extend beyond purely financial obligations to include the protection of critical links in the supply chain. A manufacturer may, for instance, be very dependent on one of its suppliers for a specialist part that cannot readily be obtained elsewhere, or a supplier may rely heavily on an intermediary to reach ultimate consumers.

Extending credit to risky customers in the automotive industry has increasingly required active and careful management of the prospective sale and the account receivable to assure payment. The news of GM’s, Ford’s and Chrysler’s financial condition, and any likely affect of their bankruptcy on its suppliers, has changed the definition of “credit risk” to include otherwise traditionally “credit-worthy” customers that operate in financially-uncertain industries.

Conventional wisdom was that bankruptcy and insolvency were not major considerations when receiving outsourcing services from reputable, credit-worthy suppliers.

Much is being written about the significant losses suffered by automobile suppliers to both the domestic and transplant automobile manufacturers. These losses are creating alarm among many others, including the OEMs themselves, according to Dave Hannon at Purchasing Magazine.

While uncertainties loom around the auto industry, suppliers and OEMs can try to prepare for the road the lies ahead.

As has been reported and rumored for many weeks, the bankruptcy filing for either GM or Chrysler, or both companies, is clearly one of the potential destinations on the road ahead. For certain parts suppliers who can take advantage of guarantees under the Auto Supplier Support Program recently announced by the U.S. Treasury Department, the news of a bankruptcy filing may feel somewhat less dire, except with respect to the likely disruption and fall off of future business.  

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Chrysler, LLC and its affiliates, as well as General Motors' struggle to reach an out-of-court reorganization with its creditors, is likely to create a ripple effect that could cause all tiers of the automotive supply chain as well as businesses connected to the supply chain to stretch payables or seek their own bankruptcy protection.

We sent to you earlier this week an Alert on "Chrysler Bankruptcy Filing and Preliminary Impact on Suppliers." As we promised, below is an update based upon our review of the case and observations at the hearings.

Essential Supplier Motion

The Court approved treatment of essential suppliers on a temporary basis. Here is a summary of the Interim Order: