Battery supply chain news and analysis – Page 51
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FeatureVW pushes its suppliers to raise supply chain sustainability
Volkswagen Group has said it is engaging in “intensive” discussions with its suppliers to determine how the sustainability of its supply chain can be improved, especially for the raw materials used in electric vehicles.“We are engaging in intensive dialogue with companies from the mine through to our direct suppliers. It ...
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FeatureSiemens Financial Services calls for careful investment in digitalisation
The automotive sector needs to invest carefully to reap the benefits of a potentially more efficient manufacturing and distribution model as the fourth industrial revolution – also referred to as industry 4.0 – takes hold, Siemens Financial Services (SFS) has warned.Advising the sector to get ready for “extended disruption” in ...
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FeaturePSA joins forces with Nidec for electric motor production in France
French carmaker Groupe PSA and Japan’s Nidec Corporation have agreed to form a joint venture and invest €220m in ($261m) in electric motor production in France for domestic and global distribution.Nidec makes electric motors through its subsidiary, Nidec Leroy-Somer Holding.In a joint statement, the companies said they would design, manufacture ...
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FeatureAltmann joins Scherm in EV truck use for BMW Munich
Logistics services providers Scherm Group and ARS Altmann have recently invested in two new electric-powered trucks to support inbound and outbound activity at BMW’s vehicle assembly plant in Munich.German logistics provider Scherm Group, which was already using one electric vehicle for inbound deliveries to the carmaker’s Munich plant after setting ...
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FeatureHolding on to the hard-won gains in Brazil
The Brazilian economy has had it rough over the past few years, experiencing its deepest recession since the 1930s, with GDP growth shrinking for eight consecutive quarters. That contributed to a drought in new vehicle sales from 2013 through to 2016. This long crisis laid waste to many parts of ...
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FeatureVolkswagen earmarks €22.8 billion for modular and electric vehicle future
Volkswagen has announced a major €22.8 billion ($26.7 billion) investment programme in its plants around the world to prepare them for modular production and for an electric vehicle offensive in the coming years.The main focus will be on Germany, which will account for investments totalling €14 billion. A big part ...
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FeatureDräxlmaier starts operations in the Bay Area to cut transport costs
German tier one interiors supplier Dräxlmaier has opened its second manufacturing facility in the US at Livermore, near San Francisco’s Bay Area, and brought the logistics operations formerly located in nearby Fremont onsite. Production will ramp up over the next few months.Dräxlmaier has invested $24m in the 27,000 sq.m Californian ...
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FeatureMitsubishi becomes latest carmaker to launch online sales platform in the UK
Mitsubishi Motors has become the latest carmaker to let consumers buy its entire range of new vehicles online.The company says its offering differs from others on the market in that it allows buyers to choose how much of the transaction process they would like to complete online and how much ...
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FeatureOEMs join forces to create pan-European fast charging network
Four major carmakers have formed a joint venture to build a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations around Europe.The Ionity joint venture plans to build a total of 400 High-Power-Charging (HPC) stations in the region by 2020. The level of investment has not been disclosed.The four carmakers involved are ...
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FeaturePlugged in for progress
Evolution of CCS charging technology for e-cars towards 350 kW" width="500" height="500">The last two decades have seen the emergence of the alternative propulsion vehicle market from almost nothing. According to PwC Autofacts data, sales in 1997 across all hybrid and electric vehicles numbered about 6,000 vehicles. This year, the ...
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FeatureService parts part 2: Next-generation service
Executives we spoke to… BMW GroupWolfgang Baumann, vice-president of parts logistics management, has been with the company since 1985 and spent most of his career in sales planning and commercial operations in Germany, before moving into his current role in service parts logistics in 2010. While he claims ...
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FeatureProduction & 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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FeatureNorthvolt picks Skellefteå in Sweden as home for battery factory
Northvolt has announced a partnership with the two Swedish municipalities Skellefteå and Västerås for the establishment of Europe’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant.After an initial assessment of eight Swedish and two Finnish municipalities, Northvolt narrowed its choice down to Västerås and Skellefteå. The company has since decided to base activities ...
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FeatureVolvo to build plant in China as part of Polestar development plan
Volvo Car Group and its parent, Geely, have formed a joint venture to invest 5 billion renminbi ($753m) into developing the Polestar electric vehicle brand, including the construction of a manufacturing plant in Chengdu, China.Earlier this year, Volvo said it would turn the performance mark Polestar into a new, separately ...
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FeatureThis changing world…
Click here to access more Automotive Logistics 20th anniversary featuresOver the past two decades a number of major global events have had a significant impact on global automotive supply chains, from new technologies, external disruptors entering the industry, catastrophes (both manmade and natural), and political earthquakes.There is little doubt ...
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FeatureTesla delays truck launch to focus on fixing Model 3 bottlenecks
Tesla has delayed the unveiling event for its electric truck by about three weeks as management diverts resources to address bottlenecks in the manufacturing of its Model 3 vehicle, as well as to increase battery production for storm hit Puerto Rico.This is according to a Tweet last Friday, by the ...
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FeatureLiving 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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FeatureUS car carriers: Driven to deliver
The US car market is forecast to contract slightly over the next two to three years, with sales set to fall from a high of 17.8m this year to around 16.3m in 2019, according to figures from industry analyst PwC. As OEMs cope with swelling inventory, the car carrier sector ...
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FeatureAn aftermarket network rebuilt for rapid response at BMW
An interview with Wolfgang Baumann, vice-president of parts logistics management and responsible for the global supply of service parts for the BMW Group
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FeatureMercedes-Benz to invest $1bn in the US for EV production and logistics
Mercedes-Benz has announced that most of the $1 billion it plans to invest in the US to expand its industrial footprint is slated for the future production of electric vehicles, alongside an expansion of its logistics activities in the country.The company plans to produce SUV models under its electric vehicle ...