Battery supply chain news and analysis – Page 53
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FeatureDifferent digital paces
The headline above might well have read ‘industry and logistics 4.0’, ‘the industrial internet of things’, ‘factories of the future’, ‘smart supply chains’ or ‘manufacturing 2025’.Or we might have turned to one of a growing number of acronyms used to outline the car industry’s future, like Mercedes-Benz Car’s CASE or ...
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FeatureProject cargo: Achieving mission impossible
Project cargo logistics is a term that covers a wide range of activities, from the movement of unusually large or heavy loads to the management of time-critical ones. In basic terms, it can be defined as the coordination, planning and management of particularly challenging logistics projects.In the automotive sector, examples ...
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FeatureDaimler and BAIC to invest $735m in electric vehicle production in China
Daimler and its Chinese partner, BAIC, have agreed to invest 5 billion yuan ($735m) in their local production joint venture, Beijing Benz Automotive Company (BBAC), as they prepare it for electric vehicle production from 2020.The investment will include construction of a battery factory in Beijing – the first the German ...
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FeatureBMW Group: Thinking big about outbound
Alongside pictures of her family, Anita Pieper’s office is full of visual charts and signposts: value-stream maps, PDA circles for scheduling and a 3PS board outlining various projects and targets her teams are working on, from quality statistics to network studies or a plant launch years ahead.In the middle of ...
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FeatureVolvo Cars China: A system built for growth
[sta_anchor id="1"]Few carmakers have been moving as quickly as Volvo Cars to develop and expand their industrial footprint in China. In less than five years, the carmaker has launched two assembly plants and an engine factory, while ramping up production and more than doubling sales in the country. It has ...
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FeatureVolkswagen Group Logistics: Come together, right now
All carmakers are [sta_anchor id=”1”]grappling with how to plan and respond to the technological, social and economic changes that are expected to affect their products and businesses. Manufacturers must simultaneously manage rising demand for both traditional and alternative fuels, while exploring new models for mobility that might, in future, change ...
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FeatureSF Motors to buy AM General’s assembly plant in Indiana for $110m
SF Motors, an electric vehicle company funded by China’s Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, has agreed to buy contract manufacturer AM General’s commercial assembly plant in the US State of Indiana, for a reported $110m.SF Motors will use the South Bend based facility to produce electric vehicles and said it expects ...
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FeatureFord and Deutsche Post team up on larger electric van
Deutsche Post is to use the Ford Transit chassis as the basis for a new all-electric van to be built at the logistics company’s existing StreetScooter manufacturing plant in Aachen, Germany.Last November, Deutsche Post said that due to strong customer demand, it would be increasing production of its StreetScooter brand ...
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FeatureEurope conference: Using logistics to compete across a digitalised aftermarket
Consolidation among parts retailers and changing consumer habits are transforming Europe’s aftermarket, with logistics services both at risk and able to provide a competitive edge, writes Marcus WilliamsThe European automotive aftermarket and service parts business is in the midst of tremendous change, prompted by consolidation among major suppliers and distributors, ...
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FeatureDaimler agrees to buy share in BAIC's Chinese electric vehicle subsidiary
Daimler has signed a framework agreement with its partner BAIC to work together on the development and manufacture of electric vehicles in China, as part of which the German carmaker will take a minority interest in BAIC's subsidiary, Beijing Electric Vehicle Company (BJEV).The agreement also involves investment in the production ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz’s Rastatt plant to produce compact EQ model
Mercedes-Benz has announced that its Rastatt plant in Germany will produce the compact class of the EQ range of electric vehicles.The 25-year old facility is the lead plant worldwide for the production of Mercedes-Benz compact cars. More than 300,000 A-Class, B-Class and compact SUV GLAs rolled off its production lines ...
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FeatureFord announces further leadership changes
Ford has announced a swathe of further global leadership changes, just days after Jim Hackett was named as the carmaker’s new president and CEO.The changes have also been made to support the newly appointed leaders of the revamped organisational structure, which includes global markets, global operations and mobility.Hau Thai-Tang (pictured) ...
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FeatureVolvo kicks off China-Europe rail service for S90 exports
An initial shipment of Chinese-built Volvo S90s arrived by train in Zeebrugge, Belgium this week, making Volvo Cars the first carmaker to export China-made vehicles to Europe using rail.The shipment, which will be followed by a regular service according to Volvo, is a significant development in turning the Geely-owned Swedish ...
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FeatureDaimler breaks ground on new battery factory
Daimler has held the groundbreaking ceremony for a new €500m ($559m) battery factory in Kamenz, Germany as the company targets the inclusion of more than 10 all-electric passenger cars in its portfolio by 2022.“The automotive industry is facing a fundamental transformation and we see ourselves as the driving force behind ...
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FeatureChina approves JAC-VW electric vehicle production plan
The China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has given final approval for local carmaker JAC and Germany’s Volkswagen Group to jointly produce a new brand of passenger electric vehicles in the country.The two companies first signed a memorandum of understanding for an electric vehicle partnership back in September.A statement ...
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FeatureYara and Kongsberg to launch autonomous electric container ship
Norwegian chemical and fertilizer producer Yara International has announced plans for the first all-electric, autonomous container ship.It is being developed in partnership with digital technology group, Kongsberg, and will ship products from Yara's Porsgrunn production plant to Brevik and Larvik in Norway.Named Yara Birkeland after the Norwegian scientist, Kristian Birkeland, ...
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FeatureSupply Chain Conference: Service parts logistics try to keep up with e-commerce
The service parts sector is among the first distribution channels in the automotive market to feel disruption from the digital economy, as consumers increasingly buy goods and services online.Indeed, within the wider aftermarket, including the large share of the market held by independent distributors, consumers already make significant use of ...
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FeatureEducation and training: The hard line on soft skills
[in_this_story align="right" border="yes"]General Motors’ executive director for global supply chain, Todd Scott, meets frequently with the faculties of several universities. At Cranfield University School of Management – ranked number one outside the United States in Supply Chain World’s annual Top 100 Universities survey – senior supply chain executives from industry, ...
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FeatureDHL in the UK: staying ahead of automotive change
Despite uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the EU, planned investments in new models and manufacturing should keep the country’s vehicle production networks competitive and growing.Overall investment has fallen since the ‘Brexit’ vote last June, but volume has, at least until very recently, grown strongly. Light vehicle sales reached record ...
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FeatureThe end of the line?
As the vehicle industry and market moves towards higher levels of electrification and connectivity, production experts anticipate a change from the traditional assembly line layout that has dominated the industry for nearly a century. Instead, OEMs are expected to increasingly orientate their plants and supply chains around more flexible, digitally ...