Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Distribution of New Cars in the Republic of Croatia

Pojava virusa SARS-CoV-2 odnosno pandemije COVID-19 negativno se odrazila na gospodarstvo cijeloga svijeta i uzrokovala brojne probleme u opskrbnim lancima pa tako i u logistici i distribuciji robe. Pandemija je pogodila i automobilsku industriju te prodaju i distribuciju osobito novih automobila. U današnje opskrbne lance koji su sve duţi uključuje se sve više subjekata. Zato je u uvjetima nesigurnosti zbog stalnih novih valova pandemije potrebno osigurati njihovu fleksibilnost kao i pravovremeno prepoznati potencijalne rizike. Zastoj u bilo kojem dijelu lanca moţe dovesti do poteškoća i prekida u cjelokupnom lancu opskrbe. Tako je globalna nestašica čipova za proizvodnju novih automobila izazvala prekid u opskrbnim lancima i produţila rokove isporuke potrošačima. U radu je na primjeru Zubak Grupe analiziran utjecaj pandemije na distribuciju novih automobila u Republici Hrvatskoj. Rezultati prijašnjih istraţivanja kao i ovo istraţivanje ukazuju na potrebu iznalaţenja novih rješenja i novih poslovnih strategija kao i na potrebu korištenja suvremenih tehnologija u praćenju zastoja i eventualnih potencijalnih opasnosti za distribuciju kao i cjelokupni opskrbni lanac.The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that is, the COVID-19 pandemic, has had a negative impact on the world's economy and caused numerous problems in supply chains, including logistics and distribution of goods. The pandemic also affected the automotive industry and the sales and distribution of, particularly, new cars. More and more entities are joining today's supply chains, which are getting longer and longer. Therefore, in conditions of uncertainty due to the constant new waves of the pandemic, it is necessary to ensure their flexibility as well as to identify potential risks in a timely manner. A hold-up in any part of the chain can lead to difficulties and interruptions in the entire supply chain. Thus, the global shortage of chips for the production of new cars has caused disruptions in supply chains and extended delivery times to consumers. In this paper we analyze the impact of the pandemic on the distribution of new cars in the Republic of Croatia on the example of the Zubak Group. The results of previous research as well as this research indicate the need to find new solutions and new business strategies as well as the need to use modern technologies in monitoring hold-ups and potential hazards to distribution as well as the entire supply chain