All articles by Christopher Ludwig – Page 35
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FeatureCarefully cutting claims
Driving claims lower in EuropeOEMs trim damage in the USInsurers eye deeper integrationIndians avoid scrapAssociations add impetusClaims and insurance processing have made steady strides in recent years in developed and developing countries alike. Tight cooperation between OEMs, insurers and logistics providers is helping to further accelerate the claims process in ...
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FeatureHave the tides turned for car shipping?
A new market entrantTrade from Japan must pick upQuite a bit of cargo aroundThe one concern above all othersNo one is pretending there has been a return to pre-recession highs, but the car shipping market has come back to high speed and nearly full capacity. But with worries over a ...
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FeatureA misty outlook for container sea trade
Car component trade by sea container has recovered well since the recession, but box shortages and slow steaming have caused issues for some manufacturers’ supply chains. And with the outlook uncertain, capacity questions remain unansweredContainer shipping and the car businessHonda UK works direct with shippersSafmarine builds a closer relationship with ...
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FeatureChina’s growth hinges on its ports
Shanghai PortGerman craftsmanship is in demandHigh and heavy calls the shotsSea routes linking north and south ChinaThe future?China imports more cars from Europe and the US than it exports and the trend looks set to continue. Namrita Chow reveals that in spite of being restricted to five ports for bringing ...
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FeatureGetting closer all the time
Last year, the Renault-Nissan Alliance began rewriting its playbook for logistics with the creation of common management charged with speeding up the pace of integration for parts and vehicle logistics. A year and a half later, the progress is much higher than anticipated.In June 2009, when Carlos Ghosn, the CEO ...
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FeatureStanding atop the Welt of BMW’s vehicle distribution
Central controlA reserved approach to outsourcingKeeping a stable distribution flowEurope–an unexpected rise in subcontractingNorth America–get the capacity in thereChina–surprisingly collaborative providersLooking ahead–IT and carbon cuttingMathias Wellbrock is carefully driving BMW’s outbound logistics with tight, in-house control while building closer relationships with providers; all of which is becoming even more critical ...
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The US needs more car hauliers
The increasing worry over a double dip recession in the US may accentuate problems in the finished vehicle supply chain in North America; the lack of truck capacity, aging equipment and a shortage of skilled hauliers.Domestic OEMs such as Ford have been telling Finished Vehicle Logistics since May that they were ...
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Is Russia moving in the wrong direction?
Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin said in September that Russia would further raise import tariffs on foreign produced vehicles from the current 25% duty to stimulate Russian production. Exact figures and timings were not given but carmakers and logistics providers are bracing themselves. The news puts a damper on recent ...
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India’s new tax system delayed…again
For years India has planned to reform the way it administers taxation for domestic movement of goods across its state borders with a simplified, general sales tax (GST). And for just as long it has been delaying the implementation. So it came as little surprise that the latest deadline, April ...
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Waiting for the Leafs to turn
Nissan, which will soon bring its electric Leaf model to Japan, the US, China and parts of Europe, is anticipating delivery delays as production out of its Japanese plant struggles to fill orders before local production begins in other markets. Customers could expect delays for the first two years particularly ...
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FeatureTurning virtual orders into reality at Ford
Better logistics means better cash flowGlobal order to deliveryOne order system for one FordShifting the lead focus to outbound logisticsNorth America todayThe evolving Ford networkWhen should the capacity come back?EighthCross-continental vehicle flows, programming logistics into the order-to-delivery process and keeping an eye on costs are all part of the logistics ...
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WWL wants to slow down at sea, but stop standing still
Over the next five years ocean forwarders will face new regulation on air emissions and fuel charges that are likely to raise costs significantly. Among the looming changes will be the creation in 2012 of a 200-nautical mile Emission Control Area (ECA) around North America, stipulating the use of ECA ...
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Get ready for risk if you want new routes
Shipping lines should exploit the current crisis in world trade to combine volumes and offer carmakers new trade routes, according to VW. But shipping lines are more likely to consolidate routes rather than volumes, while reducing unit costs with larger ships. Could moving containers together with ro-ro be an answer?Speaking ...
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FeatureStop hanging around
Getting in and getting out…fastChrysler-Fiat deal could nurture two-way flowPorts need to be meaner and leanerGrappling with recessionEast coast is fiercely competitiveLess attractive than containersHow the West Coast comparesWho you sell to still dictates carmakers’ choice of ports but patterns are shifting, and US ports try to keep pace with ...
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FeatureIndia is hungry for logistics change
The growth for local as well as export demand out of India is making the need for supply chain improvements a must. While progress is slow, Namrita Chow finds some hope on the horizon, from tax reform to an increase in returnable packagingTaxation hurdlesInfrastructure needs upgrading: portsRail in IndiaRoads in ...
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FeatureIndian exports seek the perfect port
The Big Two versus home-grown talentAny port in a boom?Mumbai PortMundra PortChennai PortEnnore PortThe futureForeign carmakers have been quick to seize the opportunity of using India as an export base for small cars. Since 1998, policies in India have supported wholly-owned vehicle manufacturing facilities allowing foreign carmakers to set up ...
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FeatureA simple approach to damage prevention
Training is the best defenceSpeeding up the claim timeData capture is the frontline of preventionLet’s talk about damageJust a simple premise that goes a long wayThe fight against damage is fought on many fronts, from protective products to sophisticated data tracking systems. But a focus on staff training and continuous ...
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FeatureHow to cope without a crystal ball
General Motor’s head of logistics Susanna Webber talks to Christopher Ludwig about improving supplier relations and how a total enterprise cost approach could help the company understand how to react to future risk and changes in the global supply chainLooking back and learning from the painThe recession's silver liningBuilding a ...
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FeatureRussia takes tighter control of industrial policy
Russia has been using an ‘industrial assembly’ scheme for several years that mandates foreign carmakers and parts producers with operations in the country. Under the scheme they are required to maintain certain levels of production, obligatory technological operations, localisation and reporting, in exchange for tariff concessions. The authorised ministries have ...
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FeaturePorsche balances in-and outsourced logistics
While logistics is the most common part of the supply chain for manufacturers to outsource, the balance between in-house and outsourced management and control functions is different depending on the OEM.One carmaker that in recent years has developed a strong central logistics management organisation is Porsche, which concentrates considerable internal ...