All SCM articles – Page 3
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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 ...
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FCA realigns output in North America as Jeep heads south
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is making changes to its production pattern in North America as part of efforts to focus its plants on larger, more profitable vehicles. The changes, which include the shifting of some Jeep production from the US to Mexico, have some substantial implications for its supply base ...
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China conference: Using logistics to hold onto the spare parts business
Wang Gencai, Dongfeng NissanAs the number of cars plying China’s road increases, demand for parts has also been rising across the length and breadth of the country. However, the current model of OEM spare parts sales and distribution in China is poised for disruption, both from independent and ecommerce ...
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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 ...
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Rebecca Stead moves to network development role at Honda UK
Honda UK has appointed Rebecca Stead (left) as its head of network development, responsible for cars, motorcycles and power product divisions. Stead, who has been with the carmaker for 19 years, moves from her most recent role as head of the corporate affairs and events team, after spending 12 years ...
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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 ...
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Daimler invests €300m in Romania for automatic transmission production
Star Assembly, Daimler’s subsidiary in Romania, has started production of the 9G-Tronic automatic transmission at its facility in Sebes, following a €300m ($341m) investment in the expansion of its production capacity.Components are being fed to the Romanian plant for assembly from Heidelfingen, part of Daimler’s Untertürkheim plant in Germany, the ...
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In-depth analysis: strong logistics and supply base central to Ford’s new Mexico plant
Ford is the latest carmaker to plan a new assembly plant in Mexico with the announcement that it will invest $1.6 billion in a factory in San Luis Potosi to produce compact cars from 2018.The plant is aimed at making the assembly of smaller cars more profitable for the company, ...
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Belgian truck drivers protest against new HGV road toll
Striking truck drivers in Belgium are blockading key transport routes in the south of the country in protest against the introduction of a new toll for heavy goods vehicles that some transport companies have said could add an estimated 8% to their operating costs.The toll, which came in at the ...
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Automotive alarm over prospects for UK steel mills
Tata Steel’s decision to exit the UK – raising the spectre of the country’s steel producing plants shutting down – has set off a number of alarms in the UK automotive sector.Vauxhall, whose parent General Motors has a policy of sourcing products locally where possible and which has increased purchases ...
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Tesla’s Model 3 puts customers and the supply chain to the test
The Tesla Model 3 is finally on order, almost two years after the vehicle was first announced. The mass-market, lower-priced electric car has seen unprecedented demand, reaching 276,000 pre-orders in the first 72 hours.Customers had to put down a $1,000 (refundable) deposit for the new Model 3. Given that 276,000 ...
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Indonesia needs reform to compete with Thailand
Indonesia must overhaul a number of regulations including its sales tax regime to stimulate domestic vehicle manufacturing and allow it to challenge Thailand as the preferred choice for OEMs operating in the ASEAN region, the Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo), has warned.Yohannes Nangoi, new head of Gaikindo, said the ...
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Canada’s Metro Supply Chain buys emergency freight provider Evolution Time Critical
Canadian third party logistics provider Metro Supply Chain Group has acquired 100% of Evolution Time Critical, a UK-based emergency logistics company, for an undisclosed sum. The purchase is set to expand Metro’s presence in Europe, its premium freight services and its business in the automotive supply chain, which is Evolution ...
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Mercedes-Benz pushes ahead in Brazil despite downturn
Mercedes-Benz has started production at a new 600m reais ($165m) plant at Iracemápolis in Brazil, about 170km north west of the capital São Paulo. The plant, which was officially opened last week, is making the C-Class Saloon and, from this summer, the GLA compact SUV.The new plant follows the carmaker's ...
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UK-EU: Better connected
In the puzzle of EU membership, Britain and its supply chain would both lose out heavily by leaving the gameBritain’s referendum on EU membership this June has divided the country. Opinion polls suggest a close contest, with splits across the population straight up to the governing Conservative party.At first glance, ...
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Look ahead to mitigate operational and reputational risk in your supply chains
Stuart Young, head of automotive, Gowling WLGThe UK automotive industry continues to boom, with a record number of cars hitting the roads, expansion across the entire industry and huge investments into research and development. Such growth is great news for the sector and the economy, but it doesn't come ...
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TVR chooses South Wales for production facility
Following the news that Aston Martin has chosen South Wales to build its crossover DBX, British sports car maker, TVR, has said it will also build a production facility in the region, located in the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone. The project represents an investment of £30m over the next five ...
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Deutsche Bahn poised to sell off stake in Schenker logistics unit
Deutsche Bahn (DB) is considering selling off a stake in Schenker, its logistics division, in 2018, alongside the part privatisation of Arriva, the UK public transport provider, which DB took over in 2010.A spokesperson for DB Schenker would only confirm that the company’s executive board was in “close and constructive ...
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Ford confirms plans for EcoSport assembly in Romania
Following speculation last month that Ford could bring production of its EcoSport SUV to the Craiova plant in Romania, the carmaker has now confirmed that it is investing up to €200m ($223m) to do just that, along with its component tooling suppliers.It plans to begin assembly at the plant (pictured) ...
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Europe conference: how to manage more with less in plants
Axel Van Het Kaar, FordComplex, varied and flexible inbound supply chains increasingly require sophisticated handling and line-feeding processes in plants. In Europe, where carmakers often face space constraints, particularly at older plants in western Europe, there has been more of a focus on developing in-plant strategies that can help ...