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Fiat have bought three of its suppliers, ICTA, Ergom group, and TK aluminium .
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BMW have given financial aid to six parts makers over the past 2 years.
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Daimler have provided €82m in financial support to suppliers like the lighting supplier Siedler .
Automakers seem more prepared than ever before to respond to their suppliers’ calls for help, industry experts say. The timing couldn’t be better. Drastic cuts in North American production, rising raw material prices, and continuous pressure from automakers to reduce costs have combined to push some suppliers on both sides of the Atlantic to the brink of collapse. According to a 2007 report from BBK Ratings, 14% of European suppliers and 33% of North American suppliers appeared to be in various levels of financial distress. For CLEPA, the automakers are prepared to do this because of the potential for disaster in the event of suppliers’ disappearance from the market; outside suppliers provide 75 percent of the content of a car.