Fire in small German town could curb world car production
When a fire in the small town of Marl in the west of Germany closed down an obscure chemical plant on 31 March, it barely made headlines.
Two people died and that was a personal tragedy for their families and friends, but the shock waves did not resonate far beyond.
Except, it turns out, to the other side of the Atlantic - in Detroit, Michigan.
So tight is the global car industry's supply chain that one break in a small link threatens the lot.
About three weeks after the fire, executives from the world's biggest auto-makers and their suppliers have met with furrowed brows to take stock of the implications of the fire.
And they are serious.
(continued, without the brakes
