Boeing, for example, is used to rescheduling aircraft deliveries for hard-pressed customers (cancelling a firm order can cost a customer dear).

ECONOMIST: The West: Shudders from Asia | The

Carmakers in Japan are coping by shifting production to other plants where possible, while in North America, manufacturers are cancelling overtime or stopping production of slow-selling vehicles in order to conserve parts for repairs and for those vehicles in higher demand.

FORBES: Automotive Industry's Sucker Punch

It suggested cancelling the STOVL version of the F-35 and cutting the rest of its order by half, while buying cheaper F-16s and F-18s to keep numbers up.

ECONOMIST: The defence industry