Pacific shipper Matson halts transport of EVs over fire safety concerns Matson is pausing EV and LFP battery shipments while it assesses risk mitigation strategies, following a series of maritime fire incidents involving EVs. Charlie Blackie-Kelly
Japan's auto industry sees increase in robot installations An 11% increase in automated manufacturing robots was driven by diversification in drivetrains and wider commitment to EV assembly, IFR reports Charlie Blackie-Kelly
Parag Sharma heads supply chain and procurement at Stellantis IAP Stellantis has appointed Parag Sharma as its head of global purchasing and supply chain for India and Asia Pacific (IAP). Parag moves from Daimler Truck in India, where he was most recently associate vice-president for purchasing and supply chain, and head of supply chain management. Marcus Williams
TVS SCS distributes parts for Daimler Truck from Singapore PDC [UPDATED July 22] Daimler Truck’s division in south-east Asia has signed a five-year contract with TVS Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) to manage its logistics centre in Singapore. The logistics provider is tasked with streamlining the throughput of service parts to Daimler Truck’s distributor network of dealers and workshops across 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Marcus Williams
Aditi Rasquinha heads ocean freight for Apac at DB Schenker DB Schenker has appointed Aditi Rasquinha as its new head of ocean freight for the Asia Pacific (Apac) region. She replaces Christoph Matthes who has moved to a new role as CEO of the south-east Asia region for Agility. Marcus Williams
VW Group reports success of Asia-Pacific PDC in Malaysia Volkswagen Group’s 50,000 sq.m regional parts distribution centre (PDC) in the Malaysian port of Tanjung Pelepas is processing aftersales parts for 21 markets in the wider Asia-Pacific region. Marcus Williams
Hyundai to build R&D centre and factory in Singapore In a virtual groundbreaking ceremony, Hyundai has announced it is building the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS) which will serve as a new R&D centre and small-scale production facility with an output of up to 30,000 vehicles per year and help to forge a new supply chain in the city state. Illya Verpraet
European debut of Renault Arkana to be supplied from South Korea Renault Samsung, the carmaker joint venture producing cars in Busan, South Korea, plans to export its XM3 SUV from there to Europe in 2021, where it will be sold as the new Renault Arkana. Marcus Williams
Containerisation: Why finished vehicle logistics needs to think inside the box While ro-ro is the traditional method of shipping finished vehicles, containerisation is becoming increasingly viable as the automotive industry decentralises and introduces more EVs. Growth in China and South East Asia offers particularly good opportunities Marcus Williams
Groupe PSA report: Connecting a supply chain par excellence PSA’s vision of end-to-end supply chain planning will help support its global expansion and acquisition of Opel, as the combined operations roll out some 59 new model launches by 2021 Christopher Ludwig
China conference: preparing for the new and the old, for growth and decline Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
In-depth analysis: strong logistics and supply base central to Ford’s new Mexico plant Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
Ford part 2: Global strategies Ford intends to support dealers through its Professional Service Network, a proliferation of Quick Lane stores and extended parts retention. Christopher Ludwig
Ford part 1: Always looking ahead In the first of a four-part feature, Christopher Ludwig talks to Ford Customer Service Division president Frederiek Toney (pictured) about changing times for logistics and providing global customer service Christopher Ludwig
India Conference: Ford switches to LLP model for inbound and export logistics Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
UPDATE: Ford’s Steve Harley will lead European production changes as Grant Belanger takes over as head of MP&L Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
Developing with China's export demand China’s increasing export volume, particularly to low-cost markets, has resulted in a challenging, fragmented logistics sector. Anthony Coia reports. Anthony Coia
