All Feature articles – Page 67
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FeatureG7 announces smart truck venture with GLP and NIO Capital
A new joint venture between G7, GLP and NIO Capital has been announced that will seek to create the next generation of smart vehicles for the logistics and transport sectors.G7, one of China’s leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology developers, will have the controlling stake in the venture and work ...
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FeatureVolvo Cars: Leaning towards greater stability
Since Geely Holdings acquired it from Ford Motor Company in 2010, Volvo Cars has been reinventing itself, from product development through to its industrial base and supply chain. Today, with a refreshed model line-up and amidst several new launches, sales have grown to record levels, with further expansion still to ...
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FeatureChanges and challenges
We are living in an era of great change, which is both exciting and a little bit unnerving. On the technological front, developments such as the emergence of autonomous and electric vehicles could support cleaner and more efficient transportation of both people and goods. In parallel, cultural shifts such as increased ride sharing may have implications for automotive sales and, of course, design, production and logistics. That’s the exciting stuff. The unnerving part is…
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FeatureWork begins in China on LNG vessels for VW
The Xiamen shipyard in China has begun work on the first of two pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) for Volkswagen Group Logistics, which will be operated under charter by Siem Car Carriers and will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).The vessels will be in service by 2019, moving vehicles ...
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FeatureSiemens to boost 3D printing in UK
German technology and engineering giant Siemens plans to more than treble 3D printing hardware at its British operation, Materials Solutions in Worcester, opening up the possibility of serial production of printed parts.The company is investing £27m ($38.3m) in a new building, due to open in September, that will let Materials ...
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FeatureFord partners with fashion chain Next on UK car sales
Ford’s UK operation has signed a partnership with fashion retailer Next to increase the range of sales outlets for its vehicles.The carmaker will open a five-car showroom at a refurbished Next store in the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester. Test drives will be available and new cars can be handed ...
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FeatureWWL restructures to meet changes in car market
Finished vehicle services provider, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), has been restructured into two divisions. Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean (WW Ocean) will focus on the movement of vehicles and rolling stock by sea and will operate alongside a separate land-based logistics entity named Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions (WW Solutions).“The new branding reflects the ...
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FeatureEU emissions rules leave Russia’s carmakers in a quandary
Russian carmakers may be forced to cut exports to the European Union as a result of the latter’s latest carbon emissions regulations, it has emerged.In a statement released earlier this month, Avtovaz said the latest EU legislation required finished vehicles to have CO2 emissions of under 120g/km, while AvtoVaz’s flagship ...
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FeaturePSA Group to sell remaining stake in Gefco
French carmaker PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroën and Opel/Vauxhall, has said it will sell its remaining 25% stake in Gefco, its former logistics subsidiary.The carmaker said in a statement that “Gefco’s operational performance and the diversification of its client portfolio no longer [make] it necessary for [PSA Group] to ...
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FeatureDB Cargo sets up rail service for German deliveries to Barcelona port
DB Cargo is running a rail service for finished vehicle transport between Germany and the Spanish port of Barcelona. The weekly service, for a prominent German carmaker (unconfirmed but thought to be Mercedes-Benz), is the only such link between the two countries and is organised in conjunction with the Spanish ...
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FeatureHeimann joins MetroGistics in lead IT role
US-based finished vehicle logistics provider MetroGistics has hired John Heimann (pictured) as associate vice-president of information technology. The company said Heimann would help develop IT operations, as well as being heavily involved in the integration of MetroGistics’ customer relationship management (CRM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms.Heimann has 28 years ...
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FeaturePSA to move engine production closer to assembly plants
French carmaker PSA Group is to reorganise operations across Europe to boost regional competitiveness by improving the performance of its powertrain plants. Some production will be transferred from Asia in line with company plans to make components as close as possible to its car plants, thus cutting supply times and ...
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FeatureToyota acelera el uso de hidrógeno en Motomachi
Toyota empleará 20 carretillas elevadoras más con pilas de combustible en su planta de ensamblado de Motomachi en Japón junto con una estación de hidrógeno para repostaje.Las horquillas se utilizarán para el transporte de componentes y materiales en la fábrica y se suman a otras dos carretillas elevadoras con capacidad ...
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FeatureSchulze lands new job at SAIC VW
Fred Schulze (pictured) will take up a new role as executive vice-president at SAIC VW – the joint venture between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Volkswagen Group – at the beginning of July this year.He moves from his role at Audi where he is responsible for the C-/ D-SUV and ...
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Feature3D-printed car to go on sale in China
Italy’s electric vehicle manufacturer, X Electrical Vehicle (XEV), has said it will work with 3D printing expert Polymaker to produce a 3D-printed EV for the Chinese market as early as the second quarter of next year.Called the LSEV, the carmaker said it would be the first mass-produced printed vehicle and ...
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FeatureToyota accelerates use of hydrogen at Motomachi
Toyota has deployed 20 more fuel cell forklifts at its Motomachi assembly plant in Japan, along with a hydrogen station for refuelling.Used to move parts and goods around the factory, the lift trucks join two older fuel cell forklifts with a lift capacity of 2.5 tonnes that were introduced 14 ...
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FeatureACEA warns of assembly line stoppages after Brexit
Whole production lines could come to halt in the automotive industry, if customs checks are introduced after Britain leaves the EU, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has warned.The sector body issued its warning ahead of a summit on March 22nd at which EU leaders (minus the UK), are expected ...
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FeatureGM starts producing self-driving Cruise in Michigan
General Motors is beginning to manufacture production versions of its Cruise autonomous vehicle (AV) after building more than 200 test vehicles in the past 15 months to develop self-driving technology.The bulk of the assembly will take place in GM’s Orion Township factory in Michigan, which also makes the Chevrolet Bolt ...
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FeatureRenault-Nissan appoints new manufacturing, production and SCM team
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has announced five deputy and senior vice-president appointments to support its Manufacturing, Production Engineering and Supply Chain Management division from April 1st.The division handles global industrial strategy across the group’s brands, including sourcing, production process engineering, production control and supply chain management, and has been headed by ...
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FeatureNavigating an uncertain future
The finished vehicle logistics sector needs to find better ways to communicate and collaborate to meet the challenges of an uncertain future, delegates at this year’s finished vehicle logistics north america conference in California were told in March. Marcus Williams reports The finished vehicle logistics industry may be facing a ...