N. American Auto Industry Faces Tooling Shortage

By 2018 the capacity of so-called vendor tooling suppliers in North American will be 64% short of local demand, according to Harbour Results Inc.

If those companies don't respond soon, they risk losing a big piece of a $15 billion market to competitors in Asia and Europe, warns the Royal Oak, Mich.-based consulting firm.

Harbour Results says the North American companies currently have capacity to supply only $9.25 billion in vendor tooling the molds, dies and jigs purchased by carmakers for use by their suppliers. Such tooling accounts for an average $550 per vehicle produced in the region, according to the firm's 2013 Vendor Tooling Study.

The report estimates the industry could cut tooling costs as much as 20% through closer collaboration between carmakers and suppliers as far as 36 months before production begins.

The study urges the North American industry to focus less on the price of tools and more on the overall cost of today's inefficient tooling process. Shopping for lower-priced tooling overseas is a short-term remedy at best, according to the study. It says the industry should focus on managing costs, including steps to reduce the financial burden of last-minute engineering redesigns.

Harbour Results conducted its survey in partnership with the Original Equipment Suppliers Assn., LMC Automotive and Clinton Automotive.