The war in Iran is in its fifth day. For the Swedish truck manufacturer Scania, the development of events has meant that, from a purely humanitarian perspective, the company is trying to find solutions for employees on site.
"When it comes to our employees, we offer those who want to leave the opportunity to do so, and we try to help them with that," CEO Christian Levin tells TT.
However, it has been very unclear how to get out.
Consequences
In financial terms, the war has consequences for the company. According to Levin, the affected region only accounts for two percent of Scania's total turnover, but the situation still poses challenges.
"First of all, it is terrible that we have a war again that affects a lot of people, including our colleagues working in the region. Then it affects logistics flows, which is worrying."
At the same time, the delivery of around 600 trucks to the region has been stopped at ports such as Rotterdam and Shanghai, which is affecting Scania's cash flow.
"It's unfortunately short-term. The big question now is: what do we do with the products that are on the order book for the next shipment?"
"There will be an intensive discussion with customers and a huge operational mess that we are working through now."
Negative impact
Markets have expressed concern that the war will now have a negative impact on the economic recovery that many have predicted will occur in 2026.
"Of course, there is everything from best-case to worst-case scenarios. I'm probably leaning - perhaps because I'm an optimist - that this will be over within a few weeks."
And what is the opposite scenario?
"In the worst-case scenario, this escalates and lasts many years, just like the conflict in Ukraine. It will be incredibly bad for the global economy and for the world at large."
Corrected version: Removes previously incorrect paragraph about the Strait of Hormuz.
