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All articles by Malcolm Ramsay – Page 3
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ArticleGetting launches off to a flying start
More frequent launches and longer supply chains are placing significant pressure on manufacturers and inbound and outbound providers. Having spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the autumn 2012 launch of its 2013 model year Lincoln MKZ, Ford had high hopes for the vehicle, which was the subject of a ...
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ArticleIs expendable packaging too expensive?
Depending on its use, received wisdom about one-way packaging in the automotive supply chain does not necessarily applyIn this story... Tipping toward one-way Returnable reasoning Container risks Mixed solutionsIn an assembly plant somewhere in Detroit, there’s something going on that, according to conventional automotive industry custom and practice, shouldn’t be. ...
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ArticleTaking hail repair in hand
The random and varying nature of extreme weather damage presents OEMs, and logistics providers, with complicated and urgent repair challenges.In this story...A history of hailUnpredictable weatherAssessing repair timesPrevention better than cureStorm-chasing staffIT and organisationIn late July 2013, central Europe enjoyed a prolonged period of warm weather, with several weather stations ...
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ArticleHow to ensure many happy returns for packaging
Surgere’s RFID refinements are cancelling out the disadvantages of returnable packaging for tier one supplier Johnson ControlsAsk almost anyone in the automotive industry, and they’ll tell you that, in theory, returnable packaging is a great idea. When it comes to using this equipment, however, their views may be less flattering. ...
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ArticleBringing it back to North America
OEMs and tier one suppliers are increasingly prefering to shorten their supply chains, but in decisions on near-shoring or re-shoring, pragmatism will prevailIn this story... Nissan’s supplier parkEnd of the exodus Cost and currency Making the right decisionsA ceremony at the Canton, Mississippi vehicle assembly plant of Nissan this past ...
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ArticleLogistics could block or unlock South African export growth
With a stellar set of global carmakers in the country, favourable government policy, a competitive currency and growing markets at its doorstep, South Africa seems set to be a manufacturing and export powerhouse. Logistics could be the link that either makes or breaks the market’s potential.The contradictions inherent in the ...
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ArticleCrossdocking: the art of movement
Viewed as a production function rather than a warehouse, well managed crossdocks can be a profitable marketing tool. However, poor use can stunt growth and drain profitsIN THIS STORY... Sharing across industriesBest practices in crossdock managementManufacturing philosophy for logisticsCrossdocks have become critical to lean logistics and just-in-sequence flows for ...
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ArticleImport and export systems - fishing for downstream efficiency
Uneven outbound chain;Managing over greater distances; Building vehicle destinations into production planning. The links jump to sections of the article Uneven dwell time affects port processors, shipping lines and OEMs alike but is build-for-distribution a wish too far? Even seasoned automotive logistics veterans are impressed at the scale of ...
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ArticleSharing the burden
In this story...Crossdock examplesA history of crossdocksSharing space/operating modelsMeasuring standards An exploration into the history and future of crossdocking: logistics providers and manufacturers are exploring ways that crossdocks can be made even more efficient, including the potential of sharing more space and freight with competitors.To feed its three British vehicle ...
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ArticleDealers demand improvements an deliveries
Can delays in finished vehicle deliveries be avoided without dealers having to become experts in OEM logistics? Dealer disincentives;Extended service hours;Visibility and flexibility;Are lessons in logistics necessary?At Moscow car dealership AVES Peugeot, sales director Evgeny Podolskiy has a distinct problem with the late delivery of incoming vehicles – especially ...
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ArticleWorking on the build-to-order dream
Despite the obvious complications that build-to-order brings, carmakers are still interested in the principle. An analysis which considers the global changes in the industry, and whether building such a car in just a few days can ever become a reality?In middle of last September, helped by her father, 18-year-old UK ...
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ArticleIf seeing is believing, IT solutions are at hand
The old complaints about track-and-trace capabilities – or the lack of them – persist in vehicle logistics, but progress is being made in last-mile visibility and electronic proof of delivery. At the Hyundai group logistics specialist Glovis Europe, work is well under way on a new IT system. Its role? ...
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Case study: Forecasting for ‘long tails’
Faced with evidence of lost sales, rising inventories and lowerthan- desired order fill rates, the UK-based manufacturer Electrocomponents, supplier of high-tech electronic and maintenance products, knew that something had to be done to improve its bottom line and make its supply chain more efficient. And the path that it eventually ...
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ArticleRestoring order to deliveries
Will premium freight remain a course of last resort or should it now be a built-in part of logistics budgets?How to define premium freight;Sometimes not the solution;Premium freight, premium savings.Every night, a TNT Airways Boeing 777 freighter takes off from TNT’s European hub in Liège, Belgium, bound for New York ...
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ArticleTracking the long haul in rail
We review the North American industry’s investment and capacity utilisation for moving vehicles by rail.North American network;Improving direct rail links;Battles on the west coast;Worry over railcar shortages and allocations;An industry making improvements.The port of Portland, on the US northwest coast, is an obvious destination for vehicles exported from Asia; Toyota, ...
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ArticleSearching for the best connection
Size does count;Converting the masses;The name of the aim;Scheme goes large;Potential for progress.Malcolm Wheatley reports on the development of an open-source EDI connector that aims to extend electronic business-to-business connectivity to the smaller and medium-size suppliers in Europe’s automotive industry.Based just outside of Barcelona, aluminium diecasting manufacturer Ruffini counts among ...
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ArticleThe needless damage done
Damage prevention Who foots the bill? Putting the pieces back together Less damage, greater savingsThird party possibilities?Malcolm Weatley finds out how insurance claims handling companies are working with manufacturers and logistics providers to identify damage trends and make claims process faster and smoother, with the aim of reducing incidents and ...
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ArticleConverging theory and reality in supply
Textbooks cover the basics of forecasting and inventory management but, as Malcolm Wheatley relates, the scale and speed of aftermarket parts supply requires increasingly complex IT solutionsA complex environment;If it looks like fish, it may not be fish;A global solution for Jaguar.When Piaggio Group Americas had problems with aftermarket spares ...
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ArticleLogistics in a of land of extremes
A booming region for high and heavyStill a growth regionPorts are well developedDeep- and short-sea services to the regionTurkey and Israel standoutWhere deep-sea lines rarely voyageImport and sales growth to the Middle East have been substantial in the past few years, particularly for high-and-heavy and commercial vehicle imports. Malcolm Wheatley ...
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An EC-funded supply chain link
Cologne-based Alfah is typical of many smaller businesses in the automotive supply chain. A regional spare parts distributor with 12 employees, its business consists of sourcing parts from wholesalers and then selling them to small repair shops.Until recently, the company had to check the availability of a given part by ...
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