All articles by Illya Verpraet – Page 2

  • cdophonegeneral_280086
    News

    Technology solutions are not a silver bullet in turbulent times

    2021-02-04T14:02:00Z

    Panellists at this year’s Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain North America Live conference agreed that digital supply chain tools have been a great help in navigating urbulent times, however OEMs like Volkswagen think more fundamental gains are reached when people look beyond standard solutions.

  • GMEVDay02
    News

    Localised battery production key to EV penetration in North America

    2021-02-03T08:26:00Z

    Electric vehicle sales in North America have lagged other regions, but changing US policy and new technology is set to change that – as long as the region can develop a local lithium-ion battery value chain

  • 20C0753_034
    News

    Carmakers ramp up plans for North American BEV manufacturing

    2021-02-01T11:24:00Z

    As Europe develops an appetite for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with Volkswagen’s ID.3 even becoming the second-best selling car overall in December, North America continues to lag behind. Although it is unlikely to catch up to Europe any time soon, things are beginning to move when it comes to local manufacturing, with some major OEMs and some credible start-ups announcing big investments for new models.

  • Carrier_Image.2048_0_1
    Article

    Second-hand cars, first-rate opportunities

    2021-01-26T10:44:00Z

    The used car sector is hot, with high demand from consumers and rising prices. However, as the supply of used cars is ultimately limited by the number of new cars entering the market and consumers trading in their old cars, actual volumes have not been significantly higher this year. What has changed, on both sides of the Atlantic, is where that volume is going.

  • VW Golf all generations
    News

    VW ends Golf production in Mexico in favour of Taos SUV

    2021-01-25T14:37:00Z

    Volkswagen has ended production of the Golf hatchback at its Puebla plant in Mexico. The performance versions of the new Golf will be imported from Germany while American production shifts to SUVs.

  • Hambach Ineos Daimler Smart
    News

    Ineos finalises supply for Hambach takeover

    2021-01-19T11:42:00Z

    Ineos Automotive has officially taken over operations of the Daimler plant in Hambach, France, after completing the purchase of the facility in December last year. It will start building the firm’s Grenadier off-roader in 2021, as well as continue to build the Smart EQ Fortwo until the end of its model cycle.

  • Brittaniadok_CLdN__Mike Louagie_MKE_8153_1
    News

    Brexit means business as usual, but with more work for Volvo and Gefco

    2021-01-19T11:07:00Z

    At last week’s Livestream Hour from Ultima Media, panellists from Volvo Cars and Gefco discussed how their daily business had changed with nearly two weeks of Brexit under their belts. Volvo had yet to experience severe disruption but both companies are seeing an increased workload to comply with the eleventh-hour regulations

  • WW Ships in cold layup
    News

    Wallenius Wilhelmsen reactivates nine car carriers from cold lay-up

    2021-01-11T13:46:00Z

    The ocean division of Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s car carrying business (WW Ocean) is re-activating nine of the 16 car carrying vessels it has in cold lay-up. It will be reactivating them during the first quarter of 2021, to replace capacity currently sourced through short-term charters.

  • VW Charging Robot connected to ID.3
    News

    VW unveils EV charging robot with potential to support outbound logistics

    2021-01-05T16:06:00Z

    Volkswagen Group Components has presented a mobile robot that can autonomously charge electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids, offering a potential solution to keep EVs charged during storage in compounds.

  • Ford Fiesta Cobots Cologne
    News

    AI and automation need people and quality data to succeed

    2020-12-23T16:22:00Z

    Experts from BMW, Ford, Symbio Robotics and Cosmo Tech discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in automotive production need fast ramp-up times and adoption by employees to succeed. High-quality data and use of simulation are also key.

  • Port of Dover
    News

    France and other EU countries close border with UK putting freight flows at risk

    2020-12-21T15:59:00Z

    A number of countries, including France, have closed their borders with the UK to passengers and accompanied freight following the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK which is suspected to be more infectious than previous types.

  • Scania_EVs
    News

    Sustainability at the core of Scania’s strategy for the future

    2020-12-03T13:46:00Z

    Scania has a strategy-focused approach to sustainability in its inbound supply chain according to Mathias Wijkström, head of the global Scania Production System (SPS) Office. That strategy encompasses the packaging the commercial vehicle maker uses for inbound parts and is informing its management of the batteries used to power its Scania Citywide electric bus.

  • Scania plug-in truck
    News

    Scania to build battery plant and research centre in Sweden

    2020-11-23T12:34:00Z

    Scania is building a lithium battery assembly facility at its plant in Södertälje, Sweden to support production of a range of electric trucks and buses. The cells will be supplied by Northvolt in Sweden but battery module assembly onsite will overcome the dangers and cost associated with the inbound delivery of finished modules

  • Lynk & Co 01 Rear
    Article

    More than one way to buy a car – subscription models and FVL

    2020-11-16T10:19:00Z

    The Covid-19 crisis has forced dealers faced with closure to adopt online sales and subscription models. We take a look at what it means for the logistics sector and how start-up Lynk & Co is going all-in on it.

  • Container Ship at port
    Analysis

    A capacity crisis in container shipping

    2020-11-09T12:32:00Z

    The awakening of global manufacturing from a Covid-induced coma has coincided with the usual holiday season rush and a move away from the just-in-time delivery model to produce a nightmare peak season that’s making replenishing stock in the automotive industry a Herculean task. Illya Verpraet and Christopher Ludwig report.

  • ECG_Conf_opening-image_01-1024x683
    News

    ECG publishes health and safety report and urges members to contribute

    2020-10-28T17:50:00Z

    The Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) has presented the findings of its annual Health and Safety Working Group survey into the dangers of loading and unloading car transporters. It reports that most incidents reported could have been avoided if proper procedures had been followed by the drivers

  • Corvette C8 Bowling Green Assembly line
    News

    GM restarts Corvette assembly after supply shortage

    2020-10-19T14:58:00Z

    General Motors has confirmed that it restarted production of the Corvette sports car in Kentucky on Monday after a week of shutdowns that resulted from parts shortages.

  • Arrival Microfactory South Carolina US
    News

    EV start-up Arrival to build microfactory in South Carolina

    2020-10-19T11:13:00Z

    Arrival, the start-up that plans to build electric commercial vehicles in what it calls ‘microfactories’, has announced its first US production location in York County, South Carolina. It has also raised $118m from funds managed by BlackRock.

  • Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore HMGICS
    News

    Hyundai to build R&D centre and factory in Singapore

    2020-10-14T12:46:00Z

    In a virtual groundbreaking ceremony, Hyundai has ­­announced it is building the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) which will serve as a new R&D centre and small-scale production facility with an output of up to 30,000 vehicles per year and help to forge a new supply chain in the city state.

  • Keith Robertson Toyota group vice president of supply chain management
    News

    Toyota supply chain management VP Pflughaupt retires, replaced by Keith Robertson

    2020-10-13T17:54:00Z

    Randy Pflughaupt is retiring as Toyota North America’s group vice president of supply chain management after 38 years at the company. He will be replaced by Keith Robertson.