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All articles by Malcolm Wheatley – Page 2
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ArticleBrexit: Who’s in the driving seat... and where are we going?
With the dust far from settled after a shock UK referendum result in favour of leaving the European Union, we assess the country’s future trade possibilities and their implications for the automotive logistics industryIn this story... Shock to the system Gauntlet to government Cuts on the cards? Future trade scenarios ...
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ArticleDeliveries are feeling the crunch
If you can’t get your product to market, every other competitive advantage is lost – a problem Europe’s OEMs could face as transport capacity tightens for moving finished vehiclesNew vehicle registrations across Europe have been rising, including double-digit sales increases in recent months across the EU. ACEA, the European carmaker’s ...
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ArticleTwo wheels good?
From sales drops to shifting uses in different markets, the outbound demands for two-wheelers are changingVehicle logistics in Europe is, of course, not limited to passenger cars, SUVs, vans and trucks, even if collectively, these products account for a huge majority of the products that specialised car carriers, shipping lines ...
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ArticleUnpacking conventional wisdom
Whether one-way or returnable, owned by OEMs and tier suppliers or rented from specialist providers, current packaging models are being re-evaluated in the search for efficiency and cost-savings. Within the North American manufacturing operations of global automotive supplier Magna International, a fascinating pilot project is underway. After a year-long study ...
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Telematics: The simple solution?
Is it finally time for onboard telematics technology to take the crown from barcodes and RFID tags? Now more than 40-years-old, the humble barcode label underpins many, if not most, finished vehicle supply chains. Generally attached to vehicles as they leave the assembly line, or in the plant compound, the ...
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ArticleKeeping a yard ahead of the game
Outsourcing responsibility for end-of-line yard operations can present challenges as well as benefits for both carmakers and their logistics partnersIn the relentless drive to squeeze cost out of automotive supply chains, specialisation is the watchword. Carmakers increasingly see their own core competence as manufacturing; for their part, logistics providers understand ...
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ArticleClouding the future
The past few years have seen a boom in the take-up of software as a service among a range of industries, but carmakers are still reluctant to take what they perceive as a chance on data securityThe last time Automotive Logistics took a specific look at the automotive industry’s use ...
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ArticlePlanning from first to last mile
Logistics specialists are looking for transport management systems to do more than optimise routes and track flows; they want complete management tools for increasingly complex supply chains.At Torrance, California-headquartered Toyota Logistics Services – the outbound logistics and vehicle processing arm of Toyota Motor Sales USA – a recently-implemented Oracle transport ...
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ArticleLast mile: Real life on the super highway
A contributor’s first-hand experience of buying a car online was far from technologically seamless, but the savings spoke for themselvesWhile researching and writing the feature on e-commerce in automotive, fate conspired to give me first-hand experience of such a transaction. I liked the look of Ford’s Kuga model (marketed as ...
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ArticleE-commerce: Online and on the road
E-commerce in automotive is starting to penetrate spare parts and vehicle purchases, with implications for OEMs, dealers, LSPs and customersIn the early days of eBay and Amazon, consumers marvelled at their own boldness. Buying on the internet was a step into the unknown: sending money to strangers to purchase items ...
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ArticleImproving the dotted line
Many would characterise contracts between OEMs and vehicle logistics providers as being highly price focused and short term. But executives on both sides of the negotiating table are interested in agreeing terms that would encourage investment and deeper collaboration in the outbound supply chain. Many executives at finished vehicle logistics ...
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ArticleOut of the light and into the night
Extended delivery hours offer the benefits of less congestion and reduced dwell time, but they depend on dealer willingness, local laws and crime rates. Surprisingly, there has been a low uptake in Britain compared to parts of the USBack in 2006, a trial began within the British operations of Honda ...
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ArticleIs there still a place for leaders?
The ‘lead logistics provider’ concept may be undergoing its biggest ever changes. The question is whether or not it is still working for today’s automotive industry. Co-ordinated from a ‘control tower’ based on the customer's site in Solihull, England, an extensive European supply chain feeds the three British vehicle assembly ...
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ArticleRealities of a risky business
OEMs would love to reduce their insurance premiums, but with catastrophic damage more frequent, they may have to risk their balance sheets to achieve thisWhen Superstorm Sandy made landfall on the eastern seaboard of the US in October 2012, hurricane-force high winds were just one problem. Another was the enormous ...
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ArticleThe power of recall
Recalls and a carmaker's ability to carry them out efficiently can have an effect not just on public relations, but on the company’s bottom line and share price. LSPs are increasingly getting involved.In the late morning of April 10th 2014, the general manager of University Volkswagen Mazda, a car ...
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ArticleePOD – Delivering the future of proof
Chrysler’s decision to mandate the use of electronic proof of delivery systems from this year has brought the process to the fore, but an industry standard may be required before everyone follows suit.At the beginning of February 2014, a new transport management system went live at Mobile Services, a UK-based ...
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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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