All Africa articles – Page 29
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Feature
Global round up
Horizon saved from bankruptcyHorizon Lines, the US domestic ocean shipping and integrated logistics company, has concluded a comprehensive financial restructuring programme worth $653m to fund ongoing operations and protect the company from bankruptcy. “We now have a new capital structure that eliminates the refinancing uncertainty faced by our company over ...
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Schenker begins BMW rail moves to Shenyang
DB Schenker has confirmed that it will begin regular rail shipments of CKD kits for BMW from its new $33m Leipzig logistics centre in Germany to BMW’s joint venture assembly plant in Shenyang, northeastern China from next month. The Shenyang plant is run as part of BMW’s joint venture with ...
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Getting China on the right track
Specialised rail wagonsPriority conflictsWeighing up the costsThe damage questionRail versus road in the China contextChanging paceGuarded optimismWith finished vehicles way down the list of priorities for Chinese railways compared to passengers and with the cost of road haulage low, Ellen Hua examines the long-term prospects for increasing rail for vehicle ...
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Vertical impact in a volatile market
While the automotive industry holds its breath over economic forecasts, DB Schenker Logistics is looking ahead with cautious optimism and expanding its contract logistics offering for the sector. Marcus Williams finds out whyFlexibility to meet fluctuation;Targeted growth;Broad customer base;Cross-sector solutions;Investment in IT;Logistics growth in Leipzig;Strong focus on spare parts;Footprints to ...
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The Moroccan connection
Thomas Cullen analyses Renault’s ambitious plan to produce nearly half a million cars a year at a new manufacturing complex in the Moroccan port of Tangiers.Tangiers-Med port;Tangiers-Med industrial complex;Logistics at Renault Tanger;Incipient revolution?.Renault has announced its intention to open a fully built-up assembly plant producing 400,000 cars a year in ...
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Staying afloat on shifting seas
Shipping lines reign in capacityA more complex networkA quick recovery from earthquakeTough market for European short-seaCould emission regulation benefit road transport?From financial crises to environmental disasters, the ro-ro market has weathered an almost perfect storm in the last few years. With tougher emission rules in the offing and new-building at ...
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Indian aftermarket is no afterthought
Growing sales and ever-increasing customer expectations are driving a transformation in the Indian aftermarket.Complexity and potential for change;Broadening the reach.The automotive aftermarket is not so-named because OEMs think about it after they have developed their new vehicle sales channels, but in developing markets that is often the way things work. ...
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Feature
Global round up
GMSA chooses Motorvia for vehicle deliveriesSouth African finished vehicle carrier Motorvia is to start carrying vehicles for General Motors South Africa (GMSA) following a successful tender for business approved last week. The new agreement will run for three years. Uitenhage-based Motorvia provides specialised vehicle transport and delivery services for ...
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Feature
Global round up
Mahindra exports global platform SUVIndian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra has said it will export its new XUV500 SUV to South Africa at the same time that domestic sales begin in December this year, with further plans for export to Western Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Australia. The car, which ...
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Surprise departures as Fiat reorganises
The widespread organisational changes at Fiat that were announced at the end of July have now taken effect and not without some surprise departures from the supply chain and commercial departments, namely Paola Petrone (pictured left), who was senior vice president of Supply Chain Management, and Andrea Formica (pictured right), ...
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GM to ship China made CKDs to India
GM’s joint venture with Chinese OEM SAIC will begin shipping microvan CKD kits for assembly in India from next year. SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile (SGMW) will produce the kits at its facility in Liuzhou for assembly at two plants in India: the Halol facility near Baroda and the Talegaon plant near Pune. ...
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Global round up
In response to a growth in demand, Asian logistics provider Kerry Logistics has started work on the expansion of its Chongqing Logistics Centre in China with a focus that includes automotive spare parts. Phase 2 construction, which is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2013, will comprise 62,700m2 ...
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Feature
Global roundup
Sonic has most complex logistics for GM in North AmericaGeneral Motors launched production this week of the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact at its Orion Township assembly plant in suburban Detroit, the only subcompact car it manufacturers in the US. According to Kenneth Knight, GM executive director of global and North ...
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Ford chooses Gujarat for logistics access
Ford Motor Company has said that it chose to build a car and powetrain plant in India in Sanand, Gujarat, in the northwestern part of the country, to improve delivery times to the largest market in the north and to gain better access to the ports of export in the ...
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Feature
Global round up
Milestone journey for DB Schenker RailLast Saturday DB Schenker Rail moved the first European-sized freight train on the UK’s High Speed 1 (HS1) rail link connecting the Channel Tunnel to London. The HS1 is the only European-sized rail route in the country. The new service will connect the UK via ...
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Feature
Global round up
Ontime boosts fleet with £4m investmentOntime Automotive is making a £4m ($6.3m) investment in its Specialist TransportDivision’s fleet of enclosed transporters over the next 12 months with the addition of 21 new enclosed vehicles. The UK-based finished vehicle transporter is working with manufacturing supplier Rolfo and Imperial Commercials ...
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Gefco to begin operations in Bulgaria
The logistics subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën, Gefco, will begin automotive logistics operations in Bulgaria from this September and establish relations with current and prospective suppliers as well as small- and medium-size transport firms in the country. Gefco Bulgaria will be based in the capital Sophia and will be headed ...
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Ford completes upgrade for Ranger exports
Ford has completed a two-year, $500m upgrade to its manufacturing and assembly plants in South Africa to enable it to produce and export its new Ranger diesel pickup trucks to 148 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia. Ford's Struandale engine plant in Port Elizabeth engine has been extensively upgraded and ...
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Neapolitan strength from Grimaldi
Automotive backboneNaples leads the growthScrap the old, in with the newProtecting profitsGrimaldi is having a record year, and Christopher Ludwig shows that the Naples-based company’s success is thanks to its strategies for automotive, investment and diversification.Relative to its general business strategy, 2011 should have been a catastrophe so far for ...
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Heavy growth in Brazil
Marcopolo discovers new territoriesAgco harvests logistics savingsConstructive logisticsBrazil’s boom has been driving a wave of investment in the construction and farming industries, through to tourism and retail. Tony Danby looks at how economic growth, the upcoming World Cup and expanding agricultural markets are spurring heavy machinery sales and the challenges ...