ALSC Digital Strategies North America: Recap blog Follow our recap blog below for key highlights and knowledge shared at Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Digital Strategies North America 2024, which focused on digitalising North America’s end-to-end automotive supply chain. Following the event in Nashville on 26-27 June, we will continue sharing news and features that relate to the speakers and companies involved in the event. Keep following the blog, as we will share videos straight from the main stage and the Red Sofa at the event! Automotive Logistics
Closing the digital divide at Ford Becca Adam, Ford’s product line manager for material and vehicle logistics IT, talks about the implementation of digital twin concepts for inbound material flow, integration of real-time location services into transport and yard management, and the focus on data management in logistics. Marcus Williams
Ford is increasing telematic data sharing in vehicle logistics In one of the four Ideas Labs held at this year’s Finished Vehicle Logistics North America conference in California, Ford’s Alex McMall joined FreightVerify’s Nathan Lawson to discuss the benefits of telematics for transparent vehicle logistics Marcus Williams
Red Sofa Interview: BMW’s progress in US-Mexico network strategy Raúl Gamboa, head of Logistics, Production Control and Production Systems at BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosí speaks to Richard Logan, senior content producer, Automotive Logistics about the progress and challenges facing the carmaker in the finished vehicle sector.
Red Sofa Interview: Jean-Marc Carlicchi on Renault’s next step in digitalisation At ALSC Europe in Bonn, Germany last week, Jean-Marc Carlicchi, VP of Supply Chain Engineering at Renault Group took to the Red Sofa with Christopher Ludwig, Chief of Content, to talk about the OEM’s digitalisation journey.
Red Sofa Interview: VW logistics using rail and digital twins to boost sustainable operations in US and Mexico Christoph Hartmann, head of Transport Networks, VW Group Logistics is using digital twins to help improve inbound logistics, and is adapting lessons learned in Europe to boost digitalisation and sustainability.
Red Sofa Interview: BMW’s creativity is helping solve its supply chain problems in Mexico Raúl Gamboa, director of material and transport control, BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosi talks to Richard Logan, senior content producer, Automotive Logistics about BMW’s creative innovations to mitigate supply chain problems in Mexico.
Interview: Renault's journey to the supply chain metaverse Jean-François Salles reveals how Renault Group is advancing predictive management of its supply chain and supporting employees to take faster decisions across locations – while looking ahead to a true ‘metaverse’ for supply chain and logistics
BMW’s lean, green and digital difference Mastering successive supply chain crises has reframed the role of logistics at BMW. Dr Michael Nikolaides, senior vice-president of production network and supply chain management, explains how his team is influencing plant and market decisions, thanks in part to improved visibility Christopher Ludwig
What resiliency in automotive logistics looks like Learn for yourself whats logistics resiliency has required in the age of supply chain disruption in this panel discussion featuring with General Motors, automotive supplier IAC Group and major logistics providers DSV and Ceva Logistics
The logistics of resiliency for General Motors Edgard Pezzo, executive director of global logistics and containerisation, explains how GM has invested in visibility, extra logistics capacity and focused on collaboration to protect the carmaker’s supply chain. He spoke ahead of the Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Global Conference, where he joins on a panel on logistics resiliency. Christopher Ludwig
Watch: Vehicle logistics now a top priority at Kia America Steve Center, COO of Kia America explains how vehicle logistics and visibility have become more important across the carmaker’s sales and marketing in the face of long vehicle waiting times and business model changes.
Watch: How to up the processing power at vehicle distribution centres Changing supply chain dynamics are putting more pressure on VDCs to improve processing scheduling and visibility. Glovis America’s Darren Acker discuss innovations with Cognosos’s Adrian Jennings.
Watch: How Toyota is delivering on demand and improving ETA Predictable ETAs are a top priority at Toyota North America and other OEMs. The carmaker’s leaders in supply and demand, Kevin Austin, and vehicle logistics, Manny Bansi, detail Toyota’s ambitions, with insights from ETA experts at ICL and FreightVerify.
A visible improvement at Nissan At the most recent Finished Vehicle Logistics North America in California, leaders from Nissan North America discussed the processes and technology they were putting in place to make vehicle delivery a lot more accurate. Marcus Williams reports Marcus Williams
Finished vehicle logistics Ideas Labs – rolling the dice on new solutions Following workshops on key industry topics and challenges including driver shortages, in-vehicle telematics, vehicle processing and final mile visibility, industry experts at Finished Vehicle Logistics shared their group’s top solutions and next steps as part of a quick-fire pitch round
E-book: Productivity gains in real time – Unlocking ROI in vehicle logistics tracking solutions Download this free e-book to learn how the return-on-investment for next generation real time location services has changed for finished vehicles in the post-cloud, post-AI technology landscape, with significant cost, operational and time advantages for OEMs compared to legacy systems. In partnership with Cognosos. Finished Vehicle Logistics Vehicle Logistics Malcolm Wheatley
Shining a light into Nissan’s outbound logistics Disruption to the production of cars in the US caused by the current parts shortages has also cast shadows over the outbound delivery process, according to speakers at last week’s Finished Vehicle Logistics North America conference, held in Newport Beach, California. Marcus Williams
A more sustainable supply chain does not have to cost the earth The automotive industry now has a deadline to clean up its act but that is not just in terms of the electric vehicles it has to make. It also means making the method in which inbound parts are moved and how the finished vehicles are delivered to market more sustainable. Marcus Williams
Every part you make, every car you take, we’ll be tracking you From revamping IT systems to real-time data and Google cloud-based connectivity, digitalisation underpins Renault’s real-time visibility revolution – and its plans to offer mobility and software services, according to Jean-François Salles Christopher Ludwig
OEMs accelerate use of existing digital tools to manage vehicle logistics disruption Nissan vehicle logistics manager Ryan Purman explains how the OEM is changing paradigms for vehicle logistics in the US, and Inform’s Dan Gosson points to opportunities in telematics and artificial intelligence.
The path to predictive analytics for vehicle logistics: Nissan’s data-driven transformation Nissan’s Steve Jernigan, along with IT experts from Proact and ICL, explain best practice for developing truly data-driven vehicle logistics across North America and beyond.
Data key to collaboration in an era of disruption Carmakers and their logistics providers need to more closely collaborate and share supply chain data to deal with disruption and improve the delivery of vehicles, according to speakers at this year’s Finished Vehicle Logistics North America Live conference. Marcus Williams
Credit where credit is due Despite a tough 2020, General Motors is bouncing back to beat the industry sales average thanks to a dedicated workforce, robust processes and some smart outbound logistics technology. Marcus Williams reports Marcus Williams
GM and Motorq use cars’ built-in telematics to streamline fleet deliveries General Motors is integrating its OnStar telematics system with connected car software provided by Motorq to offer vehicle fleet managers real-time visibility of vehicles prior to delivery. Marcus Williams
Common standards to alleviate uncertain demand and distribution changes Standardising communications between OEMs and their suppliers offers novel possibilities to smooth out the volatile conditions that modern automotive logistics has to contend with according to Robert Cameron, chairman of Odette International, which is working with European OEMs, suppliers and logistics providers to create such standards – including for finished vehicle logistics. Illya Verpraet
The medium is the message An industry-wide initiative in Europe aims to set a standard for digital communication across all outbound delivery processes from factory to dealer. Joanne Perry talks to some of those involved Joanne Perry
A cloud with a silver lining Groupe Renault and Google have announced a new industrial and technology partnership to accelerate the digitisation of the carmaker’s Industry 4.0 transformation. Victoria Johns investigates the benefits of cloud computing for the carmaker’s supply chain Victoria Johns
How ‘self-healing’ cars could change the aftermarket As OEMs adopt over-the-air vehicle diagnostics and maintenance, what effect will this developing technology will have on inventory and the surrounding logistics network? Richard Brown
Weighing the cost of the EV revolution The rise in the number of electric vehicles being transported in Europe is bringing with it some significant challenges for those carriers tasked with volume shipments. They are having to deal with heavier and higher voltage vehicles that need charging on routes that cross countries with differing regulations on load dimensions Malcolm Wheatley
BMW gets smarter at vehicle distribution The German OEM, which makes and distributes around 2.5m vehicles per year, is using smart technologies and new strategies to improve its outbound logistics, and to move to a customer-centric approach.gies and new strategies to improve its outbound logistics Joanne Perry
AL Global Detroit: Dark times ahead for US automotive industry As overall US vehicle sales slow down and EV sales remain stagnant, there are concerns that some OEMs are chasing new-generation technologies at the expense of their existing business – potentially setting up a ‘make or break’ scenario in the near future Marcus Williams
Tariffs, trade and technology drive European supply chain into new era The European logistics sector is undergoing unprecedented change. Britain’s exit from the EU and the red tape of regulation are among its biggest challenges, delegates heard at the Automotive Logistics Global Munich conference last week. Victoria Johns
Revealed: AL Awards Europe winners 2019 The Automotive Logistics Europe Awards, now in their second year, were presented at the Kesselhaus at Motorworld, as part of this year’s AL Global Munich conference Christopher Ludwig
Market sharing: New rental platform for underused trucks Uber and Airbnb have led the way in the sharing economy, but Ryder has now launched an asset-sharing platform for commercial vehicles Victoria Johns
Working together to drive out disruption In the context of testing trade relations and new technology in supply chains, finished vehicle logistics providers need to work out how to position themselves for the future, delegates heard at April’s FVL North America conference in Huntington Beach, California Victoria Johns
Audi’s logistics part 2: Pursuing practical progression There is little question that finished vehicle logistics has been among the least automated segments of the overall automotive production and supply chain process. From loading and unloading vehicles to and from trucks, ships and rail wagons to inspection and parking, as well as scanning vehicles into inventory and tracking systems, outbound logistics has remained, by and large, a manual, labour-intensive operation Christopher Ludwig
Audi’s logistics part 1: Prepared for a new reality The recent history of the Audi brand is written deeply into the company’s supply chain and logistics, and can be read across the carmaker’s expanding geography, plant and parts handling operations Christopher Ludwig
Mines of information Having invested over the past 20 years in data acquisition technology, the automotive industry is now casting around for ways to make sense of that data. Malcolm Wheatley
Service parts part 3: Aftermarket operations and network 20 years of change in automotive service parts logistics Christopher Ludwig
Service parts part 1: Moving fast towards the customer Twenty years of automotive service parts logistics Christopher Ludwig
Production & logistics part 3: Operations, packaging and IT How have supply chain operations for logistics changed over the past 20 years? Christopher Ludwig
Production & logistics part 2: Questioning the future This article is one of a series of pieces celebrating Automotive Logistics’ 20th anniversary issue that together take an extended look at the way top executives feel automotive production and logistics have changed in the last two decades – and where they see them heading in the future. Christopher Ludwig
Production & logistics part 1: Where are we now? This article kicks off a series of pieces celebrating Automotive Logistics’ 20th anniversary issue that together take an extended look at the way top executives feel automotive production and logistics have changed in the last two decades – and where they see them heading in the future. Christopher Ludwig
Volkswagen Group part 2: Talking ‘then and now’ with head of group logistics, Thomas Zernechel The group’s head of group logistics talks about the major changes seen over the past two decades – and why he is optimistic about the future of logistics Christopher Ludwig
Changes are the only certainty at Ford of Europe Dirk Willmann, director of material planning and logistics for Ford Europe, outlines how the carmaker is improving visibility and adapting its vehicle logistics network across Europe to better manage customer demand and trade uncertainties. Christopher Ludwig
Ford of Europe: A system of strength and complexity Dirk Willmann’s 25-year career with Ford has made him witness to the changing arc of the company’s supply chain in Europe and further afield, including more complicated material flows, new locations and footprint changes, as well as advances in technology. Christopher Ludwig
An aftermarket network rebuilt for rapid response at BMW An interview with Wolfgang Baumann, vice-president of parts logistics management and responsible for the global supply of service parts for the BMW Group Christopher Ludwig
Siegfried Jung takes over BMW’s finished vehicle dispatch and logistics Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
Supply Chain Conference: Service parts logistics try to keep up with e-commerce Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
Why supply chain digitisation can mean making the best of what you already have Chris Ludwig Christopher Ludwig
BMW’s ‘connected’ logistics: Shaping a self-steering supply chain BMW’s senior vice-president of logistics, Jürgen Maidl, and other executives talk to Automotive Logistics about the carmaker’s drive towards a decentralised and fully connected logistics flow Christopher Ludwig
BMW: Getting connected for a new era of distribution BMW’s vice-president of vehicle distribution Ulrich Wieland (right) and head of global vehicle dispatch and transport Mathias Wellbrock (left) talk about how connected car technology could transform the OEM’s outbound operations over the next decade Christopher Ludwig
