GM China says it extends its “deepest sympathy” to the families of those killed and injured in this weekend’s (2 August) dust explosion, which ripped through Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products’ factory in the east of the country.
At least 75 people lost their lives, with some 185 injured according to reports, but GM China declined to comment on the numbers involved or the latest stage of the investigation being carried out by authorities.
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“For the families of the victims and those injured in this terrible tragedy, we extend our deepest sympathy to them,” a GM China spokeswoman told just-auto from Shanghai.
The spokeswoman also declined to confirm what parts were involved at the factory, but reports indicate it supplies alloy wheels to General Motors’ joint venture and it appears enough stock is in place not to warrant immediate concerns.
“We have sufficient inventory of affected parts and we do not expect an impact on our production,” said the GM China spokeswoman.
“We are working with our suppliers to establish alternative processing capability.”
Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products – which polishes aluminium wheels for automakers including GM – is a component provider to the US automaker’s global supplier Dicastal that claims to be one of the world’s largest aluminium parts manufacturers.
Dicastal was not immediately available for comment, but a statement on its website and translated in basic form from Chinese to English, notes the “mood is very heavy” at the Kunshan plant and expresses condolences.
