All Feature articles – Page 41
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Feature
Standing up to risk
Given that it has recently welcomed a new government, is preparing for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and is tackling a worsening domestic security situation, it is safe to say that the Mexican automotive industry faces significant risks as it seeks to improve on its position as the world’s ...
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FeatureMexico stays strong in the face of adversity
Mexico is holding onto its position as a top-ten global automotive manufacturer and exporter despite a variety of challenges, including the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the occurrence of severe weather events and a worsening domestic security situation. Eduardo Solis, executive president of the Asociación Mexicana de ...
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FeatureQ&A: Olivier Thouard, customs and tax director, Gefco
Automotive companies and their logistics providers have largely been kept in the dark over the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and how they will continue to trade vehicles and parts with the continent. The UK exports more than 80% of the vehicles it makes but more than ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz Cars seeks to strengthen its supply chain
Mercedes-Benz Cars has said it is advancing its ‘Case’ (connectivity, autonomous, shared & services, and electric) strategy by making its supplier network more international and flexible, and placing greater emphasis on localisation.In addition to expanding its 2,000-strong global network of suppliers, the German OEM is pursuing a policy of sourcing ...
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FeatureGroupe PSA tracks containers with IoT
Groupe PSA is using a new track and trace technology provided by IBM and Sigfox to more accurately monitor and control the movement of packaged parts between its suppliers and assembly plants.The digital system, called Track&Trace, uses IBM’s cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, including Watson IoT, along with Sigfox’s ...
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FeatureVolkswagen to establish business in Ethiopia
German carmaker Volkswagen has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ethiopian government to establish its automotive business in the African country. Thomas Schaefer, head of Volkswagen Sub-Saharan Africa, signing the MoU with Abebe Abebayehu, commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, in Addis Ababa. With them are the president ...
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FeatureWendi Gentry-Stuenkel moves to Caterpillar
Wendi Gentry-Stuenkel has taken up a new role as director of integrated logistics at commercial equipment-maker Caterpillar. As reported in January, she recently left her role as head of supply chain in North America for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) after a 20-year tenure with the company.Caterpillar would not discuss the ...
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FeatureCar assembly resumes after energy squeeze in US
GM, Ford and FCA have been re-establishing normal production operations in Michigan after an energy supply shortage brought on in part by the extremely low temperatures that have swept across parts of the US recently.Temperatures as low as -25°C (-13°F) in Detroit – caused by a weather phenomenon known as ...
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FeatureGefco launches mission control for urgent deliveries
Automotive transport and logistics provider Gefco has set up a dedicated mission control centre in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, to manage emergency shipments worldwide within its freight forwarding business line.The French company claims the 24-hour service has already proved a success, after organising a charter flight, obtaining the necessary permits ...
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FeatureAuto sector wins out in EU-Japan trade deal
The automotive industry has secured special terms in the EU-Japan free trade agreement (FTA) that came into effect on February 1.To address specific sensitivities in the 28-member trading bloc, the EU said motor vehicle tariffs would be lowered in stages during a seven-year transition period, before being eliminated. The EU-Japan ...
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FeatureMercedes van assembly frozen at Gaz Group plant
A parts shortage believed to stem from US sanctions has forced Daimler to temporarily halt assembly of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans at the Gaz plant in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.Citing several sources, Russian news outlet Kommersant suggested the parts shortage could be the result of US sanctions against companies owned or controlled ...
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FeatureUK vehicle exports buoyant amid Brexit uncertainty
Vehicle exports from the UK accounted for 81.5% of production last year, the highest proportion since 2012, allowing the country to maintain its position as the second strongest new car market in Europe after Germany.According to data presented last week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the ...
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FeatureNissan pulls plans to make X-Trail in Sunderland
Nissan has reneged on a plan to make the next-generation X-Trail in the UK and will instead supply the European market with the crossover from its Kyushu plant in Japan.The decision – an obvious blow to the UK car sector – comes at a time when investment in the UK ...
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FeatureLSPs eye potential cut at Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant
Logistics service providers (LSPs) catering to Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant in Germany may need to be ready to adapt to lower volumes, after the OEM was reported to be halving output there in the Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. The plant builds the Insignia Grand Sport and Sports Tourer, as well as the ...
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FeatureAdampol resumes SKD services in Poland
Polish transport and logistics firm, Adampol, has resumed services for semi-knockdown (SKD) vehicle shipments out of its facility in Małaszewicze in eastern Poland, near the border with Belarus.Adampol is dismantling vehicles there and loading sub-assemblies into containers for several major European carmakers, though it would not divulge which ones. Its ...
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FeatureBridgestone to buy TomTom Telematics
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Europe has agreed to buy TomTom’s telematics business for €910m ($1.03 billion).Subject to closing conditions being met, Bridgestone says the transaction will bolster its goal of becoming a mobility solutions leader in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, a strategic priority for the Japanese-owned group.Data ...
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FeatureToyota and Panasonic form battery JV
Toyota and battery producer Panasonic have agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) to develop prismatic (soft pack) batteries, with a view to sell them to OEMs through Panasonic. Toyota Motor president Akio Toyoda (left) and Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga The lightweight batteries are seen to offer weight, ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz to produce batteries in Poland
Markus Schäfer (left), Mercedes-Benz Cars divisional board member with responsibility for production and supply chain, with Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki Mercedes-Benz Cars is to build a lithium-ion battery factory in Jawor, Poland, at the same site where the German OEM is building its new engine plant. ...
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FeatureVW sets up new components division to drive efficiency
Volkswagen has established a new division – Volkswagen Group Components – tasked with reducing costs by €2 billion ($2.27 billion) while improving efficiency and taking on board the increasing importance of electric vehicles. Thomas Schmall (right), chairman of VW’s new Group Components division, with Stefan Sommer, VW Group board member ...
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FeatureToyota merges production and service parts logistics in North America
Toyota is comprehensively realigning its production and service parts organisation in North America with an integrated supply chain division as part of its overall One Toyota initiative, designed to improve customer service and cost efficiency. The carmaker is merging its Logistics Control function with Service Parts and Accessories in a ...