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ArticleA game of two halves at Europe’s vehicle ports
Volatility at Europe’s leading finished vehicle handling ports was made worse in 2020 by the impact of restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the first half of the year and then by resurgent demand in the second half. Marcus Williams reports
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Article
How Bosch is connecting its business for the AIoT era
Robert Bosch CIO Vijay Ratnaparkhe is continuing a revolution in the company’s corporate IT division as it takes a starring role in connecting Bosch operating units and products – expanding the possibility for data-driven services and AI across the business and supply chain.
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Article
A stronger supply chain since Fukushima
In the ten years since the earthquake and tsunami hit the Japanese region of Tohoku, carmakers disrupted by the disaster have been working on mitigation strategies to better prepare and respond to the next supply chain threat. Marcus Williams talks to Mazda, Nissan and Toyota about what has been achieved over the last decade
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News
German carmakers race to secure European battery cell production
The millions of electric vehicles being produced also need millions of batteries. But where do the German manufacturers source their cells from?
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News
SK Innovation banned from the US for 10 years following LG lawsuit
The US International Trade Commission has imposed a 10-year ban on SK Innovation for the importation, domestic production and sale of electric vehicle batteries within the US because of intellectual property theft from rival LG Chem. It is a tough sentence, but perhaps unsurprising given the context of the global push to electrification.
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News
Decarbonising the supply chain will be a gradual effort
With the range of electric vehicles (EVs) available on the market it is possible to buy a car that does not have any tailpipe emissions. The realities of energy generation mean that true zero-emission motoring is still some way off but at least there is a clear first step. Decarbonising the supply chain, however, is a complex issue with many hurdles still to overcome.
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Article
A fitful start to the year for automotive supply in North America
The repercussions of Covid-19 continue to disrupt the automotive supply chain in North America, not least in the disruption caused to inbound container freight and the serious shortage in the supply of semiconductors. Marcus Williams reports
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Article
A fab future for the automotive sector
A shortage of semiconductors is hampering global automotive production. Bettina Weiss, chief of staff and global smart mobility lead at electronics association SEMI, tells Marcus Williams why this is happening and why OEMs need to forge more direct links with the chip manufacturers
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Article
From doom and gloom to fast and furious
Ocean-going container vessels have been anchored off the west coast of the US in January because of congested port terminals. Dr Noel Hacegaba, deputy executive director and COO at the Port of Long Beach tells Marcus Williams about the misalignment of supply and capacity, and how the port is tackling it
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Article
Good things come in sustainable packages
The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) is an association of vehicle makers and suppliers that works with US government bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on projects designed to advance environmental sustainability while providing economic value to the automotive supply chain. At the end of 2020, the SP published guidance on sustainable packaging aimed at reducing waste in the automotive sector and increasing the amount of packaging that could be recycled
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Article
Credit where credit is due
The coronavirus pandemic meant 2020 was a tough year for everyone in the automotive sector. GM was no exception. While the carmaker’s sales for the calendar year reached 2.5m units, total deliveries were down 12% and retail deliveries down 6% for the year. However, toward the end of 2020 retail sales recovered to pre-pandemic levels. According to the carmaker’s executive vice-president, Steve Carlisle, that was down to the efforts made by GM’s workforce. They kept launches on track and each other safe.
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Article
Second-hand cars, first-rate opportunities
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.
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Article
Bridge over troubled waters
Kuehne + Nagel is supporting its automotive customers’ transition to an electrified future with the provision of battery chain services. At an event the company held in December, mobility and materials experts discussed the challenges facing the industry.
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News
GM Middle East to import more vehicles from China
GM will be importing more vehicles from China to supply the Middle East following a re-evaluation of its sourcing strategy triggered by Covid-19, according to Sulaiman Pallak, head of purchasing and supply chain for GM Africa and Middle East.
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Article
Can the UK supply chain keep up with a 2030 ban on new ICE vehicle sales?
The UK government has announced it is bringing forward its plans to phase out the sale of new cars and vans powered by internal combustion engines. Daniel Harrison, automotive analyst at Ultima Media, examines how realistic that is and whether supply chains are ready to produce enough electric vehicles and batteries.
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Article
More than one way to buy a car – subscription models and FVL
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.
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Analysis
A capacity crisis in container shipping
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.
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News
Start-up vehicle makers demand more from their logistics providers
Automotive start-ups are well-known for changing the rules when it comes to the cars they produce, as well as their sales and distribution models, but they are doing things a little differently when it comes to supply chains as well, demanding agility and flexibility from logistics providers not normally seen with traditional OEMs.
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News
Ford and Toyota talk about the benefits of returning to sender
Carmakers used last week’s ALSC Live online conference to reveal a range of sustainable packaging strategies they were employing in an effort to cut waste along with cost.
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Article
Managing a dynamic global service parts network from Germersheim
Mercedes-Benz is using new ergonomic working principles and the latest digital technology to automate processes at its global parts logistics centre in Germersheim. Machine learning and cloud computing are also being used to help with demand planning for the high volume of parts the facility receives and distributes daily
