All production articles
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FeatureExports prop up UK car production despite trade uncertainty
The number of cars made in the UK fell by 5.5% to 128,799 last month, with domestic demand plummeting by 47.2% to 15,647, according to figures from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). However, production was bolstered by a 6% rise in exports to 113,152 units, with almost ...
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FeatureAnfac study downgrades port logistics in Spain
The Spanish automotive manufacturers’ association, Anfac, has just released its annual Maritime Port Logistics Grading study, which identifies Santander (pictured), Sagunto and Pasajes ports as currently the best for vehicle processing in Spain.One of the significant conclusions of the report, however, is that the overall grading for port logistics declined ...
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FeatureFord to make second model in Craiova
Ford is investing up to €200m ($235m) to manufacture a second vehicle at its Craiova assembly plant in Romania, saying the planned expenditure is a sign of the company’s trust in government promises to deliver key upgrades infrastructure and logistics improvements.“Ford has discussed with the government the key infrastructure projects ...
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FeaturePSA to move engine production closer to assembly plants
French carmaker PSA Group is to reorganise operations across Europe to boost regional competitiveness by improving the performance of its powertrain plants. Some production will be transferred from Asia in line with company plans to make components as close as possible to its car plants, thus cutting supply times and ...
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FeatureTesla delays truck launch to focus on fixing Model 3 bottlenecks
Tesla has delayed the unveiling event for its electric truck by about three weeks as management diverts resources to address bottlenecks in the manufacturing of its Model 3 vehicle, as well as to increase battery production for storm hit Puerto Rico.This is according to a Tweet last Friday, by the ...
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FeatureKössler heads Audi production and logistics in executive shakeup
Peter Kössler (pictured) will be the new board of management member for production and logistics at Audi after a major reshuffling was announced at the German carmaker.He will replace Hubert Waltl, who held the position from April 2014.The appointment is part of a host of management board changes as the ...
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FeatureEurope conference: Two-thirds of UK car manufacturing ‘could move to EU within a year’
Up to two-thirds of the UK's automotive manufacturing base could theoretically be relocated to the EU within a year after the country leaves the trading bloc, global lead analyst at Autofacts PwC, Christoph Stürmer, has warned.Speaking on the first day of the Automotive Logistics Europe conference in Bonn today (Wednesday ...
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FeatureDHL Supply Chain to handle in-plant logistics for JLR in Brazil
DHL Supply Chain has been awarded the contract to manage in-plant logistics at Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR’s) new manufacturing plant in Itatiaia, Brazil (pictured).JLR opened its 750m reais ($215m) manufacturing facility last June. It is the first wholly-owned manufacturing plant the carmaker has set up outside of the UK (its ...
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FeatureBorgward edges closer to Bremen return with assembly site deal
Andreas Heyer (left), chairman of Bremen Invest, and Ulrich Walker, CEO of Borgward GroupGerman car brand Borgward and Bremen Invest have signed a deal over the purchase of a future assembly site in the German city.The memorandum of understanding covers a 140,000 sq.m piece of land in the Cargo ...
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FeatureIn-house competence propels Volvo and Continental’s logistics
The inbound supply chain in China continues to develop at a fast pace, and getting to grips with the complexity around supply locations, regulations and production shifts is a significant task. For some manufacturers, including Volvo Cars and tier one supplier Continental, increasing in-house management resources and tools have been ...
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FeatureTurkey’s auto sector grows in the midst of political turmoil
Representatives of Turkey’s automotive industry and the government’s investment support agency met in London, UK, last month to discuss the challenges the country faces in getting back on track toward production and export growth, following a politically turbulent two years. Despite the disruption, it seems the Turkish automotive sector is ...
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FeatureHungary and Slovakia to produce Audi’s new Q models
Audi has launched two new cars in its Q range of utility vehicles which it will build at its facilities in Hungary and Slovakia.The Q4, a compact utility vehicle, will be built at the company’s Győr facility in Hungary from 2019. Last year, the carmaker indicated production of the existing ...
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FeatureToyota invests record amount to ready Kentucky plant for new architecture
Carmaker Toyota has announced plans to invest $1.33 billion at its largest plant, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) in the US, as it prepares for a New Global Architecture (TNGA) production platform.By 2020, the majority of the company’s global models will be built using the platform and upgrades are planned ...
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FeatureGroupe PSA to consider restarting Opel assembly in Russia
Groupe PSA CEO Carlos Tavares has suggested the firm’s acquisition of GM’s European division could bring about a return of the Opel brand to the Russian market.The French carmaker announced the $2.3 billion deal to acquire GM’s European division, which includes Opel and Vauxhall, last month.GM pulled assembly out of ...
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Sharp decline in South African car exports to rest of Africa
Exports from South Africa to the rest of Africa continued their downward trend in 2016, almost halving in number, according to the latest quarterly update from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa).Back in 2014, other African countries were together the second largest export destination behind Europe ...
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FeatureCaterpillar plant closures prompt global changes in supply pattern
Construction and mining equipment maker Caterpillar is closing plants in the US and Europe with a combined loss of around 2,800 jobs, in reaction to a drop in demand in the construction, mining and energy industries.Products made at the plants, in Aurora, Illinois and Gosselies, Belgium, will be shifted to ...
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FeatureOntario secures its place in Ford’s connected-car future
Ford has announced a C$500m ($373m) research and development (R&D) investment in Canada’s Ontario territory, including the development of a research and engineering centre in the capital of Ottawa.Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured here on the right), were both present at the official event announcing ...
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FeatureSeat: A megatruckload of progress
Seat’s supply chain leaders open up about rail infrastructure, the carmaker’s use of automation and its service parts networkIn this story... Seat's European network Multimodal and connected Aftersales in motionSeat has been emblematic of Spain’s automotive ups and downs over the past decade. It suffered badly during the country’s severe ...
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FeatureHonda invests a further $85m in Alabama assembly plant
Honda has announced plans to invest $85m in its Lincoln plant in Alabama, including an expansion at the south end of Line 1 of the vehicle assembly operation there.The company said the investment was the first part of a multi-phase project to “improve vehicle manufacturing flexibility, strengthen the logistics efficiency ...
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FeatureRussia considers changes in policy to boost vehicle exports
Russia’s government is considering amending its industrial assembly agreement with OEMs in a bid to boost exports, it has been revealed.Speaking in early March, Maxim Oreshkin, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development, said that although many finished vehicles were already exported, including to Western Europe, the government had now reached a ...