Features – Page 17
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ArticleBeing Pragmatic about tracking
Assigning materials and components an individual identity that can be tracked easily and reliably from the goods-inward stage through production to delivery to the customer, and even throughout their lifespan, is a fundamental element of effective logistics. In a high-volume environment such as mainstream automotive manufacturing, this will mean that ...
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ArticleWaking up to a new dawn
Brazilian vehicle manufacturers are increasingly optimistic that the country can claw its way out of a deep recession. The country is experiencing a period of low inflation, low interest rates, light GDP growth and a tentative recovery in employment, reflected in improving purchasing power and consumer confidence. Moreover, consumers with ...
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ArticleTrusting the market will stay afloat
European vehicle-handling ports saw growth in vehicle vehicle volumes in 2017, however geo-political worries – not least Brexit – is causing concerns. Ports continue to invest but there are worries over future volumes and capacity levels.
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ArticleNavigating uncharted waters
At 04.00 on June 26 last year, Jim Hagemann Snabe, chairman of AP Moller-Maersk, was woken by a phone call from his office. That’s when he learned that the global shipping giant had fallen victim to a cyber-attack. Over the next few hours, the true severity of the incident became ...
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ArticleMercedes-Benz: Taking an end-to-end approach
It may have taken Mercedes-Benz around 120 years to reach 1m cars per year, breaching the mark around the turn of the 21stcentury. However, the recent surge in growth of the brand has seen it rise by around 1m units in sales and production in just five years, with passenger ...
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ArticleJack Cooper: The wheels of revolution
At the FVL North America conference, you said we were experiencing a technological revolution rather than an evolution. What do you think are the biggest changes happening now?I think we’ve got to look at it in our business from both sides: what’s happening in the actual vehicles and with the ...
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ArticleVolvo 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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ArticleNavigating 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 ...
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ArticleVollmer takes production and logistics role at Seat
From July 1st, Christian Vollmer will be the OEM’s new vice-president for production and logistics, leading the management of its three factories at Martorell, El Prat de Llobregat and Barcelona in Spain. He will also promote strategies relating to environmental sustainability and the challenges of future mobility, as part of ...
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ArticleSchick to lead Schaeffler's production, logistics and purchasing from next month
Andreas Schick is to become chief operating officer (COO) at the supplier of components and systems for engines, transmissions and chassis. From April 1st, Schick will replace Oliver Jung, who has decided to leave the company after ten years.“With the appointment of Andreas Schick we have again promoted an internal ...
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ArticleChanje charges to an electrifying lead
Commercial electric vehicle start-up Chanje has stolen a march on some of the more established players in the US, revealing the V8070 all-electric panel van, which can carry a payload of 6,000lbs (2.72 tonnes), several months before Tesla unveiled its much-anticipated electric truck.Chanje is led by Bryan Hansel, founder of ...
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ArticleWhat3words: Innovative addressing solution
‘Innovative addressing solution’ aptly summarises the product the founders of a start-up came up with over three years ago. It also happens to be the co-ordinates of an exact 3m x 3m location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The original concept that would become What3words was born when ...
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ArticleChina car transporters: Axle position looks set to move centre stage
The era of the overloaded car transporter in China – the ‘aircraft carriers’, as some have referred to them – is entering its final stages this year. After more than a decade of growing lengths and dangerous loads, the country’s highways are set to see improvements in safety and standards, ...
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ArticleMexico conference: Uncertainty well-balanced with optimism
While a degree of uncertainty over the future of free trade between Mexico and its Nafta neighbours to the north once again hung over discussions at this year’s Automotive Logistics Mexico conference, it was more than matched by confidence in the future of the automotive sector. That confidence is being ...
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ArticleOutbound TMS: The search for a system that can't be beat
In recent years, growing computer power, advanced software and algorithms for logistics planning have led to a rise in the use of the transport management system (TMS), which enables companies, among other things, to receive, plan, monitor and report on collections and deliveries. Some manufacturers and logistics providers have implemented ...
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ArticleLogistics IT: Is there an app for that?
At US finished vehicle logistics specialist Jack Cooper Logistics, recounts president Andrea Amico, as part of a contract for carrying out the collection and inspection of ex-fleet vehicles on behalf of a US carmaker, the need to supply seven images of each inspected vehicle was suddenly upped to a requirement ...
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ArticleAutomation: Paving the way for progress
Ask automotive manufacturers what their primary concerns are today within warehouses and factories and they will probably allude to one of three key things – productivity, safety and waste. Although various solutions are available to help alleviate problems in these areas, one of the most important is materials handling technology. ...
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ArticleJoanne Perry takes over as editor of Automotive Logistics
Joanne Perry (pictured) has taken over from Christopher Ludwig as the editor of the Automotive Logistics group, becoming responsible for the print and digital content of Automotive Logistics and Finished Vehicle Logistics.The move follows Ludwig’s appointment as content director at parent company, Ultima Media, which organises the Automotive Logistics group's ...
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ArticleEmergency response: Weathering the storms
A volatile 2017 hurricane season saw successive storms hit the US south-east and the Caribbean, counting at least 500,000 vehicles in the US alone among its many damages and leading to emergency planning once again gaining a greater level of prominence within the finished vehicle supply chain. While matching the ...
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ArticleDisaster recovery: Prepared for the worst?
As the scale of the destruction wrought by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan’s north-eastern coastline in March 2011 became apparent, managers within BMW’s purchasing function were asked if it would affect the company. Their answer? No – because BMW had no suppliers in Japan.But that wasn’t quite ...