All IT articles – Page 6
-
Feature
Are 4PLs an effective solution for the automotive industry?
Tim Fawkes is the managing director at 3T logisticsThe automotive industry has one of the more multifaceted supply chains within manufacturing, involving hundreds of suppliers spread across multiple countries and continents. As such, a service-driven, robust and efficient transport management process is required.Outsourcing transport via third party logistics providers ...
-
Feature
Magna snaps up Telemotive to expand into electronics
Tier supplier Magna International is to buy Telemotive, a supplier of automotive electronics equipment and services, for an undisclosed sum.Subject to regulatory approval, the deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016 and will allow Magna to integrate Telemotive’s five German facilities into its vehicle engineering and ...
-
Feature
NEC and DMIC Trust set up Indian container tracking service
Japanese IT and communications provider NEC Corporation has established a 50-50 joint venture with the DMIC Trust, which oversees infrastructure developments on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, to provide a new container location service.DMICDC Logistics Data Services will provide shippers and transport operators with logistics visualisation services enabling them to perform ...
-
Feature
Stubborn EU member states holding back digitalisation in logistics
The majority of EU member states are still dragging their heels when it comes to the adoption of digital freight transport documents, despite the signing of a protocol back in 2011 that paved the way for their adoption, attendees at a dinner debate on digitalisation in logistics were told last ...
-
Feature
China conference: preparing for the new and the old, for growth and decline
The 11th annual Automotive Logistics China conference was held for the first time in the south-western city of Chengdu, a symbol of the automotive industry’s westward development and the centre of the revival of the old ‘Silk Road’ trade routes emphasised by the government’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ policy. Christopher ...
-
Feature
China conference: catching up with digital and automation trends
Steve Dyer, from Bain & Company, said China had a long way to go in catching up to the US and European productivityDespite China’s reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse, filling the world’s homes and stores with products ‘made in China’, rising labour and production costs are increasingly a competitive ...
-
Feature
Blocking errors bit by bit
Matthias Berlit is head of industrial logistics at German software provider InformBlock chains – the technology that already powers the virtual bitcoin currency – could soon be revolutionising information exchange in the automotive supply chain.A block chain can be described as a digital ledger containing stringed blocks of information, ...
-
Feature
The Quiet Revolution and its impact on inbound and aftermarket operations
Bill Bacon is managing director of automotive at DHL Supply Chain UK & IrelandThe automotive sector is changing. According to a recent report by PWC, analysts believe the sector will change more in the next ten years than it has in the last 100. The biggest factor contributing to ...
-
Feature
Morelli switches to MAM Software system for aftermarket repairs
Aftermarket paint repair specialist Morelli Group is now using an online parts distribution and warehouse management system (WMS) from MAM Software Group, which it said would bring in greater efficiency to its operations in the UK. MAM Software is supporting the company with its cloud-based Autopart Online system along with ...
-
Feature
Online marketplace: Control-alt-compete
Online marketplaces have transformed the way consumers find, choose and buy many products and services. Could they realistically do the same for automotive logistics?Disintermediation was one of the uglier words to emerge from the turn-of-the-century ‘dot com’ boom (and bust), but the idea was a compelling one: internet technologies would ...
-
Feature
Platooning challenge showcases future of automotive logistics
Six European truck manufacturers have taken part in the 2016 European Truck Platooning Challenge.The challenge, run by the current president of the European Council, saw OEMs running autonomous and human-driven trucks to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from several European cities.The aim of the challenge was to highlight the potential benefits of ...
-
Feature
Ford part 4: The future of service
From engaging customers through FordPass to predicting their maintenance needs via Service Excellence 2.0, Ford is evolving its approach to the aftermarket
-
Feature
Ford part 3: Supply chain upgrades
Ford is rolling out advanced global inventory and demand management tools in pursuit of greater efficiency in logistics and service
-
Feature
FCA: Making hay while the sun shines
After six years basking in the glow of rising US sales, and now enjoying low fuel prices, Fiat Chrysler needs to improve productivity today before things change again, says Marc Brazeau, head of outbound and Mexico logistics in North AmericaA team on a long winning streak can build momentum that ...
-
Feature
BMW tests autonomous vehicles in factories to move parts
BMW Group is testing a number of autonomous vehicles on its factory floors as part of an automation drive that is expected to help cut costs by 5% per vehicle annually.The project began this month at BMW’s logistics centre in Wackersdorf, Germany, where the suitcase-sized trolleys are being used to ...
-
Feature
Car Delivery Network announces ePOD dealer portal
Car Delivery Network (CDN), which provides electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) applications for outbound finished vehicle movements, has built a free industry application for the dealer network that simplifies the storage and availability of vehicle delivery information.The latest application, called VinDispatch, is an open industry portal where any dealer can ...
-
Feature
Europe conference panel discussion: A time for optimism
Finally, the outlook in Europe is positive once again. Of course, the market is fragile and subject to risk, but on the path to recovery. Last year, most European countries saw strong growth, with many in the double digits, and the European Union had stronger growth than almost all other ...
-
Feature
Paragon using RFID system at Immingham facility
UK finished vehicle logistics provider Paragon Automotive has rolled out an RFID system at the car handling facility it manages near the port of Immingham, which it expects to result in “significant cost savings and service-enhancing benefits”.As mentioned at the official launch of the facility in January this year, Paragon ...
-
Feature
The progress and possibilities of ePOD
Though it has been around for a while, the vehicle logistics world is only just beginning to catch on to the potential of ePOD, especially in North America, where mandates and standards are setting the coursePaperless transactions have been ubiquitous in the transfer of goods and services for more than ...
-
Feature
Europe Conference: Planning for more than the Zeitgeist in the supply chain
The Automotive Logistics Europe conference set out to capture the Zeitgeist of logistics in terms of technology and skills – and it found that now may be a perfect time to invest in equipment, transport engineering and smart systems. Christopher Ludwig reports from in Bonn, Germany Additional contributions by Marcus ...