France Inc. Sticks With Supply Chains Despite Pandemic Fallout

The coronavirus pandemic may change many things about the way French car-parts maker Valeo SA operates, but its sprawling global supply chains won’t be among them.

European leaders have talked of bringing manufacturing back to member countries to avoid the type of crises that quickly followed the initial outbreak in China. The shutdown of auto-parts factories there sent Europe’s vehicle producers scrambling for replacements to feed assembly lines. Europe’s dependence on foreign-made health-care protective gear like masks and gowns also became painfully clear.