Analysis – Page 10
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Disaster recovery: Prepared for the worst?
As the scale of the destruction wrought by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan’s north-eastern coastline in March 2011 became apparent, managers within BMW’s purchasing function were asked if it would affect the company. Their answer? No – because BMW had no suppliers in Japan.But that wasn’t quite ...
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Brian Mason takes on business development role at PAS
Brian Mason (pictured) has become vice-president of business development and administration at Pasha Automotive Services (PAS), which provides vehicle logistics services throughout North America and is part of the Pasha Group.Mason, who was previously vice-president of planning, analysis and development, will be primarily focused on servicing existing business and building ...
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Seat: Delivering improvement
After reinventing much of its vehicle logistics following a severe reduction in output in the wake of the financial crisis, Volkswagen Group’s Spain-based Seat has since seen strong growth in production, exports and sales. That has put even more pressure on space and capacity at its main assembly location in ...
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Avoiding supply chain disruptions with effective legal planning
Even the greatest logisticians at the world’s most prestigious automotive companies can’t predict the future. Economic downturns occur, suppliers falter and disputes occur that endanger just-in-time manufacturing. While these disruptions in the supply chain are inevitable, they do not have to be catastrophic.Although the strategies shown here are written from ...
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Facing digitalisation-driven disruption
Historically, traditional logistics players such as DHL, Kuehne + Nagel, DB Schenker, UPS and Nippon Express have operated in a stable world, where efficiency, standardisation and low cost have been the keys to success. Digitalisation, however, has begun to change this focus, transforming the market. New, digital-native entrants are better ...
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No more second-hand innovation
The conservation of time and the acceleration of goods in the supply chain have long been valued by OEMs and their partners in bringing new cars from production to market. Those principles are increasingly being brought to bear in the used car market, too, with tighter logistics chains and greater ...
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Nissan hits 20,000 exports from Brazil following project launch last year
Nissan has exported 20,000 vehicles from its plant in Resende, Brazil, since its export project began in March 2016, it has reported this week. What is more, the carmaker expects to increase exports by 50% in 2018.The carmaker is sending volumes of the March (43%) and Versa (57%) compact models ...
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One box still does not fit all
A look at automotive packaging developments over the past 20 years
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BMW to open assembly plant in Russia ahead of state procurement rule
BMW has confirmed plans to build an assembly plant in Russia to produce vehicles for the domestic market with localised parts. The move has been made ahead of a new state procurement scheme that will oblige regional and federal authorities to purchase only vehicles manufactured in Russia for their own ...
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Nissan halts production for local market in Japan after inspection issue
Nissan has halted production of cars in Japan destined for the local market after it found that unaccredited inspectors were still conducting final vehicle checks at its assembly plants – despite the company being notified a month earlier by authorities that its inspection process was non-compliant.Speaking at the Tokyo Motor ...
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Production & logistics part 2: Questioning the future
This article is one of a series of pieces celebrating Automotive Logistics’ 20th anniversary issue that together take an extended look at the way top executives feel automotive production and logistics have changed in the last two decades – and where they see them heading in the future.
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Driver shortage the number one concern for road carriers in ATRI survey
The shortage of truck drivers in North America has climbed six places to come top of the list of concerns in a survey into critical issues facing the sector, conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The results were released at this week’s 2017 American Trucking Association (ATA) Management ...
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Living in interesting times
With the shadow of a hard Brexit hanging over the UK, the question of how it will maintain a competitive automotive sector into the next decade is harder to answer than ever…
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Volkswagen Group part 2: Talking ‘then and now’ with head of group logistics, Thomas Zernechel
The group’s head of group logistics talks about the major changes seen over the past two decades – and why he is optimistic about the future of logistics
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Conference report: Attracting a talent for disruption
Given the pace of change in digital technology the automotive logistics sector may not know exactly where it will be in ten years but it knows it is going somewhere different and that a risk-to-fail attitude is essential in adopting supply chain strategies for the future. What it cannot risk, ...
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Indian vehicle sales bounce back post-GST but cess tax hike looms
India’s light vehicle sales have rebounded, following a big drop in June ahead of the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1st.Based on wholesale transactions, official Indian sales surged by 16% year-on-year in July to 334,000 units, as dealerships replenished their inventories.The GST is a value-added ...
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RIO Box now comes as standard equipment in new MAN trucks
All new MAN Euro-6 trucks will now come with a RIO Box as standard equipment, according to the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group company.The RIO Box is a cloud-based telematics operating system designed to link together all participants in a supply chain, independent of vehicle brand or the telematics system ...
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Vehicle protection: Trying to cover all bases
In June this year, upmarket Volvo S90 sedans built at Volvo Cars’ plant in Daqing, northern China, began arriving at a car terminal at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium for European distribution. Travelling not by sea, but by rail, they are transported in containers across Russia along the China-Europe rail ...
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BLG and Fenix commit to expansion of services at Bronka
German logistics provider BLG Logistics and LLC Fenix, the owner and operator of the Russian port of Bronka, have signed an official letter of intent for joint future development of finished vehicle handling at the port.BLG Logistics has been working with Fenix for six months at the port already, following ...
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Brazil: Exports are chasing away the clouds
Brazilian vehicle sales, which have fallen every year since 2013, continue to be hampered by a deep recession, a stubborn, double-digit unemployment rate, increasingly tight credit and haemorrhaging consumer confidence. Seemingly unending political crises have also hit the country. So, to combat the stalling economy and venal political climate, carmakers, ...