Following the division of tier one automotive parts and systems technology provider Delphi Automotive into two separate companies – Aptiv and Delphi Technologies – Dr Jeffrey Richards (pictured) has become global director of logistics and supply chain operations at Aptiv.
Richards has been with Delphi for 27 years and in that time has held a variety of technical and global leadership roles in the logistics, production control, supply quality, operations, and engineering departments.
Aptiv focuses on mobility solutions, smart vehicle architecture and connected and autonomous vehicles. Delphi Technologies, meanwhile, focuses on powertrain business, including advanced vehicle propulsion, combustion systems, electrification products and software.
Aptiv is taking a highly centralised approach to its logistics and Richards said the department was responsible for the sourcing, network design, continuous improvement and emergency logistics for all operating units.
He said the expectation at the company was that the business would involve an increased level of complexity but also a faster pace of change than Delphi Automotive.
“Our vision from a logistics supply chain point of view of what we want to do for the next three years is quite sound, but the expectation of performance and speed of implementation will be much greater,” he said.
Aptiv has 109 manufacturing plants, with a strong presence in China, Eastern Europe and Mexico.
Among Richards’ priorities in the new role is to move the company to a more efficient ‘origin-based’ logistics network design on a global basis, and away from the ‘destination-based’ focus for international movements he was previously involved in at Delphi.
He will also be responsible for implementing a global transport management system (TMS) and developing an enterprise visibility tool with predictive analytics for freight movements around the world.
Logistics is part of Aptiv’s supply chain management organisation and Richards reports to Sidney Johnson, senior vice-president of supply chain management at Aptiv.
