All Feature articles – Page 185
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FeatureToyota part 3: On time, any time, all of the time
Run with the precision of its famed production system, transport management forms the backbone of Toyota’s service parts distribution, with daily, multimodal services, and strong controls over expedited freight Toyota’s North American Parts Operations (NAPO) division manages a complex set of transport flows designed to allow for the latest possible ...
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FeatureToyota part 3: Reverse opportunities
Toyota is exploring options for integrating remanufactured and recycled parts into its logistics network.Along with dealer distribution, NAPO is responsible for reverse logistics for the return of packaging modules, as well as collecting dealer part returns. However, with the growth in hybrid vehicles, Neil Swartz and his team are moving ...
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FeatureToyota part 3: In-house quality applications
Toyota is using its in-house truck fleet for service parts distribution as a competitive advantage, while also trialling innovations including a new smartphone app for driversToyota is fairly unique in having its own in-house fleet of trucks for parts distribution. Toyota Quality Parts Express serves major routes out of the ...
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FeatureMaintaining the flow
What are OEMs, claims managers and repair specialists doing to prevent damaged vehicles from damaging profits and customer confidence?Despite the best efforts of carmakers and their logistics providers, and despite vehicles arriving in perfect condition most of the time – up to 99.75% for some OEMs – there will always ...
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FeatureMosolf Automotive Railway adds more cars
Mosolf Automotive Railway (MAR) is adding 100 open rail wagons to its fleet to facilitate more vehicles to be transported by rail.Since March 2015 the wagons have been leased by rail car leasing company Touax, but will become the property of MAR in 2016.The additional wagons mean MAR now has ...
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FeatureThe supply chain – a holistic approach
Now more than ever, businesses must improve the efficiency of their supply chain in order to maintain a competitive advantage. All too often companies target storage, handling and transport to reduce costs, but this is just the tip of the iceberg when aiming for a truly effective end-to-end supply chain. ...
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Mind the sulphur gap
WWL’s global head of environment, Roger Strevens (left) warns that shipping lines and cargo owners risk falling into a trap if they fail to look over the horizon when adjusting fuel costs, as well as if they ignore proper enforcement of new sulphur emission control zonesOf all the scenarios that ...
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FeatureOn board for progress
Ashok Leyland’s head of vehicle distribution, Chandrakant Mishra reveals how the OEM is trying to maximise its outbound logistics efficiency as much as the Indian landscape will allow.Unpaved and congested roads; long queues of vehicles waiting at state borders to pay various tolls and taxes; limited handling and storage at ...
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FeaturePlanning from first to last mile
Logistics specialists are looking for transport management systems to do more than optimise routes and track flows; they want complete management tools for increasingly complex supply chains.At Torrance, California-headquartered Toyota Logistics Services – the outbound logistics and vehicle processing arm of Toyota Motor Sales USA – a recently-implemented Oracle transport ...
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FeatureTPT slaps 9% tariff increase on South African carmakers
South African terminal operator, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), has announced it will increase tariffs for automotive cargo by almost double the average approved by the country’s port regulator, which stands at 4.8%. The latest increase follows a similar increase of 9.25% last year.The tariffs, which will come into affect at ...
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FeatureVW reported making short sea shipments between Portugal and Germany
VW is reported to have started parts shipments using a direct short sea route between its Autoeuropa production plant in Palmela, Portugal to its plant in Emden, Germany.VW has not confirmed the reports but several sources in the Portuguese press state that the first trailer of parts was moved last ...
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FeatureAnalysis: European discord for logistics
Although Europe is considered to be a single market, differing laws and regulations surrounding wages, truck dimensions and weights are making it increasingly difficult for finished vehicle logistics providers. In the face of growing divisions between transport regulations in various European countries, finished vehicle logistics executives and European officials have ...
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FeatureLast mile: Real life on the super highway
A contributor’s first-hand experience of buying a car online was far from technologically seamless, but the savings spoke for themselvesWhile researching and writing the feature on e-commerce in automotive, fate conspired to give me first-hand experience of such a transaction. I liked the look of Ford’s Kuga model (marketed as ...
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FeatureApps and logistics: Taking it all in hand
Smartphone apps are increasingly being used in areas such as track-and-trace, damage reporting and claims, as well as compliance issuesWith the growth of e-commerce, customers are increasingly accustomed to using their smartphones not only to buy products, but also track delivery right to their door. The ubiquitous rise of Uber, ...
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FeatureE-commerce: Online and on the road
E-commerce in automotive is starting to penetrate spare parts and vehicle purchases, with implications for OEMs, dealers, LSPs and customersIn the early days of eBay and Amazon, consumers marvelled at their own boldness. Buying on the internet was a step into the unknown: sending money to strangers to purchase items ...
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FeatureFCA phases out Chrysler supply to the UK
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has confirmed it is ending sales of Chrysler vehicles in the UK, which includes the Chrysler 300 and Grand Voyager. It will also end sales of the Ypsilon luxury supermini in 2017. Sales of the Delta hatchback ended last year. Sales of Chrysler brand vehicles dropped ...
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FeaturePenske Logistics to acquire Transfreight
Penske Logistics has announced that it has finalised an agreement to acquire Transfreight North America, a third-party logistics and supply chain solutions provider, from trading and investment giant, Mitsui & Co.This follows the news last week that Mitsui has acquired a 20% limited partnership interest in Penske Truck Leasing from ...
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FeatureMetrogistics completes merger with McNutt Automotive Logistics
Following last year’s announcement that finished vehicle carrier Metrogistics would be merging with rival carrier McNutt Automotive Logistics, the companies have now completed the merger.The merged company will offer a full range of logistics and asset-based transport services to all customer segments including new carmakers, the used car market, new ...
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FeatureGM pulls assembly out of troubled Russian market; VW cuts back in Kaluga
General Motors has announced that it is stopping volume production of midrange vehicles at its plant in St Petersburg by the middle of this year and will concentrate on importing premium Cadillac and Chevrolet products to Russia, such as the Corvette, Camaro and Tahoe. It will end sales of Opel ...
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FeatureBMW to use 40-ton electric truck for inbound deliveries to Munich plant
BMW has announced it will be the first carmaker to use a 40-ton truck powered purely by electric to deliver inbound parts. The carmaker has established a partnership with German logistics provider Scherm Group on a pilot project that will see the electric truck deliver material to the BMW Munich ...