Autoliv Steering Plant Destroyed by Fire

The Autoliv steering plant in El Nadhour, Tunisia, caught fire on December 26 due to some poor welding work done during the Christmas vacation. Fortunately, there were no human injuries, but the factory management was forced to quickly move production to other facilities before automakers go back to work.

Though the manufacturing machines were destroyed by the fire, Autoliv got lucky as all critical tools were salvaged and saved with the help of the employees. Most of these tools were transferred to Poitiers, France, where Autoliv has its biggest plant. Thirty employees from Tunisia were also sent to France.

“Our teams in France and Tunisia have done a fantastic job, in many cases working around the clock since the incident, to mobilize and ramp up capacity at our other European steering wheel factories” stated Jan Carlson, President and CEO of Autoliv. “Our recovery plan is on track and we are committed to deliver all products in time to our customers, despite the fire” added Jan Carlson.

“We are most appreciative of our customers, government authorities and of course our employees all of whom have worked together to solve this very challenging situation,” concluded Mr Carlson.

Autoliv is an important producer of automotive safety systems. The plant in Tunisia manufactured steering wheels for more than 25 different vehicle models and was responsible for 12 percent of the steering wheels in the European auto industry.