All Govt policy/regulation articles – Page 17
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FeatureRo-ro lines “living in denial since 2008”
With ten months to go before new environmental restrictions come into effect in the Baltic and North seas, and the English Channel, many ro-ro carriers are still deliberating what method they are going to adopt to operate in the 0.1% sulphur emission control areas (SECAs).Most are choosing between three compliance ...
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FeatureNissan to end SKD assembly of Infiniti
The carmaker will start importing finished vehicles of Infiniti models from Japan later this year as its plant in St Petersburg switches entirely to complete-knockdown assembly (CKD), partly as a means to access valuable Russian subsidies.SKD assembly of the Infiniti model will stop in May this year when Nissan’s agreement ...
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FeatureSulphur limits: cleaning up shipping or going overboard?
With new limits on sulphur emissions coming into force for much of northern Europe and North America next year, shipping operators are trying to comply in ways as sustainable for costs as for the environment.Come January 1st 2015, parts of the shipping world will not be the same again. On ...
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FeatureAre Russian import tariffs going back to the USSR?
UPDATE: Since publication, there have been further developments, including the decision by the Ukrainian government to increase excise duties. Read more here.Despite joining the WTO or promoting trade, Russia and its neighbours retain a highly complex set of import tariffs and barriers. But could political tension and economic pressure force ...
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FeatureArgentina plans to restrict vehicle imports in 2014
Carmakers exporting vehicles to Argentina are facing restrictions on the number of vehicles they can send to the country in the early part of 2014. The Argentine government is looking to cut imports by 27.5% based on volumes in 2013 because of a perceived imbalance in automotive trade.During the first ...
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FeatureNissan won’t shift Qashqai to Russia this year
Although Nissan will eventually shift some production of its second-generation Qashqai crossover model from the UK to Russia, the transfer won’t happen this year. According to Colin Lawther, senior vice-president for manufacturing, purchasing and supply chain management at Nissan Europe, the carmaker will first stabilise production of the new Qashqai, ...
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FeatureGlobal car making will be based on a risk-benefit model
Emerging markets are expected to account for 50% of global vehicle production by 2020 and, to remain competitive and reduce risk in the face of stiffening international legislation, carmakers are looking at co-location and the sourcing of components closer to the final consumerStiffening legislation, increased competition and a focus on ...
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FeatureWTO should take lead in auto trade reform, says WEC report
A report released this week by the World Economic Forum (WEC) calls for deeper border reforms and an urgent implementation of the Bali trade accords announced last December by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which is designed to accelerate cross border connectivity. It also states that the WTO is the ...
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FeatureUkraine looks at removing protective duties on imported cars
Ukraine is planning to loosen a protective special duty on imported cars during the first couple of months of 2014, according to a recent report from the country’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Igor Prasolov (pictured). The decision has been made following trade talks with the Eurasian Economic Commission ...
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FeatureJapan serves notices for unfair practice on ro-ro carriers
A number of global ocean carriers, including Japan’s NYK Line and ‘K’ Line, are facing a round of fines because of non-competitive behaviour in their vehicle shipping business, this time by a Japanese regulator. The carriers have now been served with preliminary findings into an investigation by the Japanese ...
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FeatureAirlines fined following price-fixing cartel
The Swiss-based Competition Commission (Comco) has brought fines totalling 11m Swiss francs ($12.1m) against 11 airlines, following an investigation into horizontal price fixing agreements on freight transport services between 2000 and 2005.Comco said the investigation revealed that the airlines had agreed on freight rates, fuel surcharges, war risk charges, customs ...
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FeatureBelarus to adopt utilisation fee on foreign imports
A draft decree on the introduction of a utilisation, or recycling, tax on foreign imported vehicles, based on the one introduced by Russia and Ukraine last year, has been published by the government of Belarus, which is part of the region’s Customs Union. Representatives of Belarus’s trade association said that ...
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FeatureWanxiang Group makes surprise bid for bankrupt Fisker
China’s largest automotive parts company, the Wanxiang Group Corporation, made an unexpected last-minute bid for bankrupt carmaker Fisker Automotive at the beginning of January. The company said its initial bid would be worth $24.7m adding that it had agreed to shoulder some of Fisker’s liabilities. Hangzhou-based Wanxiang said that if ...
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FeatureGM vows to reduce carbon footprint in 2014
General Motors has announced it will join the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, a move that will have repercussions across the logistics supply chain. The EPA’s Smartway Partnership aims to regulate fuel consumption and cut emissions, particularly by its freight shippers and ...
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FeatureECG: taking lobbying to new lengths
Efforts by the European Commission to enforce border restrictions on loaded truck lengths could hurt efficiency if the sector does not act.One of the roles that we set ourselves at ECG is ‘lobbying and representation’. This is one of the five core objectives that collectively make up our mission statement. ...
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FeatureGovernment is biggest stumbling block for India’s automotive future
More than half the delegates canvassed at last week’s Automotive Logistics India conference, held in Pune, thought that government inaction was one of the main problems facing the progress of the automotive logistics industry in the country and would be until elections in India were completed in 2014. Speakers and ...
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FeatureAPL expands in southern US
APL Logistics has announced the opening of its first customs brokerage office, the latest in the company’s efforts to expand its US network. The centre will operate through its recently-acquired subsidiary Carmichael International Service, with which it formed an alliance in 2012. APL aims to ease business operations for customers ...
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FeatureSupply chain promises deferred, but not yet broken in India
This year’s Automotive Logistics India conference came at the end of a tough year for the domestic automotive market. But the downturn has not prevented manufacturers from striving and investing to improve speed and flexibility in their supply chains.Report by Christopher Ludwig and Zoë Apostolides in PuneIt was not supposed ...
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FeatureWTO agrees on customs plan but concerns over currency remain
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has unanimously approved a trade facilitation agreement designed to establish common customs standards and ease the flow of goods through borders around the world. It is estimated that it could lower the cost of carrying out trade by as much as 10-15%, according to the ...
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FeatureChina reports: an industry on the advance
In China’s complex automotive landscape, logistics is crucial, but OEMs and 3PLs still face a steep learning curve on which they can help each other.In this story... Push for quality logisticsSupply chain engineering 3PLs falling behindExport servicesWorking togetherChina’s vehicle sales and production growth has been explosive for much of the ...