All Feature articles – Page 173
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FeatureRussia may extend transport subsidies to ocean trade
Russia is looking to extend the subsidies it provides for the movement of finished vehicle volumes within the country to the ocean transport sector, in addition to rail, as carmakers continue to struggle with the downturn in the domestic market.Following an agreement established in 2010, the government subsidises vehicle shipping ...
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FeatureMitsubishi to end US production, switch to exports from Japan
Mitsubishi Motors is ending production of its Outlander Sport model in the US by November this year. The carmaker’s division there – Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) – makes the vehicle at its only plant in the country, located at Normal, Illinois. Production is now expected to switch to its ...
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FeatureAmerican hauliers: Adding up the miles
Constraints on rail capacity and changing demand could see road hauliers covering greater distances, as well as facing greater challengesThe fact that the majority of volume vehicle movements in North America use rail – perhaps for 70-75% of miles covered, by some estimates – would suggest that most truck deliveries ...
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FeatureSoftware quality assurance and the supply chain
Everyone in the logistics industry is aware that supply chains are becoming more complex. On top of this increasing complexity, technology is playing a bigger role, as cars become more and more like drivable computers or smartphones.The rise of the so-called ‘connected car’ – those equipped with internet access – ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz to invest “several hundred million” in global logistics realignment
[Updated July 30th] Mercedes-Benz Cars has announced a multi-million euro investment in the realignment of its global logistics organisation that will involve both inbound and outbound flows and incorporate the supply chain management unit within its central production organisation.“Our investment of several hundred million euros in our supply chain management ...
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FeatureVolvo Group distribution centre up and running in Mississippi
Volvo Group’s new 10,000 sq.m central distribution centre in Byhalia, Mississippi is now fully operational.The $70m facility, which was built in six months, is managing the distribution of aftermarket parts for the company’s Mack and Volvo truck brands, as well as Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Penta, which supplies power ...
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FeatureCeva Logistics becomes exclusive transport provider for Mazda Australia
Mazda’s division in Australia has awarded two new contracts for finished vehicle services to Ceva Logistics, making it the exclusive provider of transport services for the carmaker in the country.Ceva will manage the movement of Mazda vehicles from their arrival at port to delivery at dealerships in Victoria, South Australia ...
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FeatureDHL launches cross border LTL service between US and Mexico
[This story was updated on Thursday 23rd July] DHL’s freight handling division, DHL Global Forwarding, has introduced a less-than-container load (LTL) service between the US and Mexico that it said has already been adopted by the automotive, engineering and manufacturing sectors, among others.Han Roest, global sector head of automotive at ...
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FeatureCadillac to export exclusive ATS and CTS V-series to Japan
GM’s Cadillac division is supplementing the supply of its US-made luxury sports sedans, the ATS and CTS, in Japan, and will export small volumes of the V-series versions of the cars there subject to demand. The high performance cars are made at its Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan.GM ...
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FeatureMagna International to buy Getrag
Magna International, the global components and systems supplier, announced that it will buy Getrag, a German car parts manufacturer for $1.9 billion (€1.75 billion), to expand its automotive transmission systems business.Magna is currently the world’s third largest automotive supplier, and the latest announcement is a bid by Magna to win ...
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FeatureVW of America investing $6.8m in PDC for Pacific northwest
Volkswagen Group of America is planning to open a new Pacific Northwest Parts Distribution Centre in Sacramento, California.The OEM is investing $6.8m in expanding its logistics operations with a 13,000+ sq.m facility. It is Volkswagen’s second parts distribution warehouse in California. It has a 28,800 sq.m parts and distribution facility ...
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FeatureMore carmakers announce assembly operations in Nigeria
Vehicle production in Nigeria is gaining momentum. In the last month both Volkswagen and Honda have started production in the country, and Tata Motors has announced plans to invest $8m in a joint venture plant with local company Iron Product Industries, for vehicle production.[sam_ad id=6 codes='true']The latest announcements follow Nissan’s ...
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FeatureFirst Honda HR-V exports to the UK leave Mexico
The first consignment of Honda HR-V vehicles produced in Mexico for the UK market left the port of Veracruz at the end of last week. According to Charles Franklin, manager of export logistics for American Honda Motor, 695 right-hand-drive HR-Vs, which are made at the Celaya plant, were part of ...
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FeatureHands-free handling
While it may lag behind other in-plant activities in its use of robotics, the quest to automate finished vehicle movement within factories and yards is well underwayCompanies including General Motors, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volvo and Tesla – not to mention Google – have all promised that the autonomous car or ...
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FeatureKeeping a yard ahead of the game
Outsourcing responsibility for end-of-line yard operations can present challenges as well as benefits for both carmakers and their logistics partnersIn the relentless drive to squeeze cost out of automotive supply chains, specialisation is the watchword. Carmakers increasingly see their own core competence as manufacturing; for their part, logistics providers understand ...
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FeatureSupplier dispute hits production at Seat Martorell
Production at Seat’s plant at Martorell in Spain was brought to a standstill last week because of strike action at the nearby plant of tier one supplier Johnson Controls. The Spanish division of the supplier – Johnson Controls Eurosit – supplies seats to the plant, near Barcelona, on a just-in-time ...
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FeatureHonda part 6: Nurturing a rich harvest
From inventory management and container tracking to carbon reduction and data mining, Honda’s holistic improvement is set to continueHonda’s logistics have changed dramatically over the past decade or more, including more production sites, global suppliers and consolidation points. The introduction and expansion of a lead logistics provider has helped to ...
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FeatureHonda part 5: Working better, together
An emphasis on collaboration is helping the carmaker maximise efficiency, minimise cost and possibly avoid capacity and driver shortagesWhile part of the Honda North America logistics strategy has been to increase consolidation between all its plants, there has also been a move towards wider collaboration in the supply chain, whether ...
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FeatureHonda part 4: At the centre of change
Honda’s Regional Logistics Centre represents a move towards integration and commonality in the US, but it has also brought about ‘another way of life’ in the OEM’s homelandA good example of where Honda’s logistics have delivered a fully integrated, common supply chain solution for North America is the company’s Regional ...
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FeatureIran deal reignites foreign OEM interest in domestic production and exports
This week’s agreement to lift sanctions against Iran has immediately renewed production and export plans among a number of carmakers with historic links in the country, including PSA Peugeot-Citroën and Renault-Nissan.The deal, which was signed in Vienna on Tuesday (July 14th), involves Iran, the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and ...