Saab says it is still trying to secure overdue funding as late salary payments continue to dog the embattled automaker.
It is not yet clear from whom the late funds are due, but the situation does not help Saab which has missed blue and white collar August salaries, while continuing to negotiate with its huge number of suppliers.
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“We are still working to get committed funds,” a Saab spokeswoman in Sweden told just-auto. “Funds that someone [has] promised to Saab, but not come in yet.
“There is still money outstanding. We are not sharing that information – there is somebody that has committed.”
Saab concedes this week will “very important” as its white collar August salaries come due on Monday (5 September), while their blue collar counterparts’ wages are outstanding from last week.
There has been speculation about a so-called bridge loan that Saab is looking to find, with the spokeswoman saying that would enable salaries to be settled as well as agreements to be made with suppliers.
However, there does appear to be a rump of component makers that are holding out, with some being named by Swedish debt enforcement agency Kronofogden recently as creditors, among them Kongsberg Automotive, although it insisted it did not want to push Saab into bankruptcy.
The Norwegian supplier’s payment was missed by Saab triggering a process where Kronofogden was allowed to look at the automaker’s Swedish bank accounts to see if finance was available.
“What we continue to have for the most part and we appreciate it greatly, is the patience and support of most of the suppliers,” said the Saab spokeswoman. “Because they know that still it is in everyone’s best interest to aim for restart of production.
“Evidently some not. There are some that are deciding to take other actions.”
