All Feature articles – Page 59
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FeatureKuehne + Nagel expands services for BMW
Kuehne + Nagel and BMW have expanded their partnership in Europe and Asia.In a phased development, the logistics company set up a regional distribution centre in Kleinaitingen (Germany) last April and one in Słubice (Poland) a month later. It is also establishing dealer distribution centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China, ...
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FeatureTrump’s tariffs attract worldwide disapproval
Carmakers, parts manufacturers, trade bodies and the European Union have all sharply criticised the Trump administration’s proposed import tariffs on vehicles and auto parts.Hinting at potential supply chain disruption, Toyota said: “There is no vehicle [made] in the United States … that is sole-sourced from exclusively US parts and components.”The ...
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FeatureBCA signs record five-year deal with BMW
BCA Marketplace has agreed a five-year contract with BMW UK to provide a range of remarketing services.The agreement will see the used vehicle group de-fleet, refurbish, inspect and collect, inventory manage and remarket on behalf of the carmaker and its leasing business, Alphabet. The value of the deal has not ...
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FeatureGearing up for growth
Following two years of strong headwinds, there is now rising optimism for the UAE’s automotive sector. According to Fitch Group company BMI Research, 2018 will see a 4% growth in new vehicle sales in the UAE. Its forecast for the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region is for a ...
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FeatureFlooding in Celaya halts Honda assembly
Flooding has stopped production at Honda’s plant in Celaya, Mexico. The carmaker confirmed that floodwater had gotten into the plant on June 28 (Thursday) because of an overflow of a channel connected to the Laja River.“Honda decided to suspend all production from the evening of June 28,” said the carmaker. ...
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FeatureTime to fall in line
In April 2016, a fleet of trucks – some of which had driven almost 2,000km – arrived in the Dutch port of Maasvlakte and made modest headlines around the world. A few months later, a three-strong convoy of Volvo trucks hauled three containers on the interstate highway from the port ...
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FeatureTrue business doesn’t have only one winner
The competition has been fierce, various people have taken a kicking and at least a few own goals have been scored; the global trade war, much like this year’s FIFA World Cup, has made for compulsive viewing. This tariff battle, principally between the US and China, has gathered pace so fast that it’s difficult to comment on the state of play – and amid the lingering suspicion that it could all be over at the drop of a tweet…
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FeatureOpening up the doors to global trade
They do say that as one door closes, another one opens. And so, as US President Donald Trump puts up barriers to trade (if not yet a wall) in his bid for greatness, one of his principle targets for tariffs – at the last count $250 billion worth of them – is opening up for business. As delegates heard at our AL China conference, the country will reduce its duty on vehicle imports at the same time as removing a cap on foreign company ownership…
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FeatureDriving intelligent dispatch
After winning a European Startup Prize for Mobility earlier this year, there are growing signs that Hamburg-based Cargonexx is on its way to creating what may be the largest digital transport network in Europe.The German company was set up in 2016 with the explicit mission of improving truck utilisation via ...
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FeatureA match made in heaven?
According to a study carried out by the European Commission in 2014, almost a quarter of truck journeys on Europe’s roads are carried out empty. In individual member states, the prevalence of empty running can be even higher: in the UK, for instance, Department for Transport (DfT) statistics put the ...
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FeatureGebrüder Weiss expands Romanian operations
German logistics provider Gebrüder Weiss has enlarged its base in Sibiu, Romania, to include a logistics terminal with cross-docking hub.“The extension will enable us to meet increasing customer requirements and handle the growing volume of orders,” said general manager Viorel Leca.Last year 605,442 consignments weighing a total of 1.2m tonnes ...
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FeatureGM breaks ground on Michigan parts centre
General Motors has stated construction of a $65m (€56m) parts processing centre (PPC) in Burton, Michigan. The development represents the company’s largest single investment in a US warehousing and logistics facility for almost 40 years and it is being managed by General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales (GMCCA). (left to ...
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FeatureLocation key to Volvo’s latest plant in the US
Sweden’s Volvo Cars has held a plant opening for its first US manufacturing base, near Charleston, South Carolina.The company invested around $1.1 billion (€950m) in the plant, which has an annual production capacity of 150,000 cars a year. The new S60 mid-size sports sedan will be the first model to ...
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FeatureTireHub on track to operate in US
Tyre distributor TireHub expects to start serving US customers in the first week of July after co-owners Bridgestone Americas and Goodyear received clearance for the joint venture.The newly formed company will distribute tyres for passenger cars and light trucks throughout the US, with an emphasis on satisfying growing demand for ...
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FeatureHigher tariffs to hit Daimler’s earnings
Increased Chinese import duties on US-made cars and other setbacks have forced Daimler to lower earnings expectations for this year, despite record sales.“The decisive factor is that at Mercedes-Benz Cars fewer-than-expected SUV sales and higher-than-expected costs – not completely passed on to the customers – must be assumed because of ...
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FeatureRussia on its way to join the global automotive trade war
The Russian government is considering protective duties against US finished vehicles according to Maxim Oreshkin, Russia’s economic development minister (pictured). Oreshkin held a press conference in Moscow on June 25 and said the country could introduce duties ranging between 18% and 20% in response to the US decision to raise ...
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FeatureDB Schenker and MAN to test platooning
Logistics provider DB Schenker has put two digitally networked trucks into service in a platoon trial on German roads in a project involving MAN Truck & Bus and Hochschule Frensius University of Applied Sciences.The first platoon took to the roads on June 25, travelling from a DB Schenker office in ...
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FeatureKia moves Sportage through Santa Marta
The Colombian port of Santa Marta has started handling imported Kia vehicles from Slovakia. By the end of the year, it is expected to have handled around 4,000 Sportages.The vehicles are being imported into Colombia on a monthly basis by regional distributor Metrokia SA and are being delivered to the ...
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FeatureBrexit’s unaccustomed burdens
Nine months before the UK’s planned departure from the European Union, uncertainty over customs arrangements is emerging as one of the major concerns of manufacturers – perhaps just as much, if not more so, than the prospect of tariffs and taxes. The risks and impacts from delays in logistics flows ...
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FeatureSMMT calls for end to Brexit uncertainty
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has joined major manufacturers in calling for the British government to end uncertainty over the UK’s trading relationship with the European Union after Brexit, and to ensure the frictionless flow of parts and vehicles. Speaking at a press conference during the SMMT’s ...